William Mather Lewis
Black and white photograph of man with short, wispy hair wearing circular glasses, necktie, suit, and overcoat
Lewis, 1923
Mayor of Lake Forest, Illinois
In office
1915–1917
President of George Washington University
In office
1923–1927
Preceded byWilliam Miller Collier
Succeeded byCloyd H. Marvin
President of Lafayette College
In office
1927–1945
Preceded byDonald B. Prentice (acting)
Succeeded byRalph Cooper Hutchison
Personal details
Born(1878-03-24)March 24, 1878
Howell, Michigan
DiedNovember 11, 1945(1945-11-11) (aged 67)
Colebrook, Connecticut
Spouse
Ruth Durand
​
(m. 1906)​
Children1
Alma mater

William Mather Lewis (March 24, 1878 – November 11, 1945) was an American teacher, university president, local politician, and a state and national government official. He was mayor of Lake Forest, Illinois from 1915 to 1917, President of George Washington University from 1923 to 1927 and the President of Lafayette College from 1927 to 1945.[1]

Early life

Lewis was born in Howell, Michigan on March 24, 1878.[2] His father was Rev. James Lewis, minister of the Howell church from 1875 to 1882,[3] and his mother was Mary Farrand.[2][4]

Education

Lewis attended Knox College.[2] Lewis received an A.B. from Lake Forest College in 1900,[2][5] and an A.M. from Illinois College in 1902.[2][6] Later, he would receive his Ph.D. from the University of Berlin.[7][8] He was a member of Phi Delta Theta.[9][10]

Career

Lake Forest

Lewis was briefly principal of Whipple Academy, Jacksonville (a preparatory school of Illinois College),[6] before returning to Lake Forest to be head of the department of oratory and debate at Lake Forest Academy for three years. In 1905 he became headmaster at the academy, resigning in 1913 to travel and study in Europe.[11][12][7] He was mayor of Lake Forest, Illinois from 1915 to 1917.[2][13]

State and national roles

Lewis was field secretary of the Navy League of the United States in the Midwest in 1915.[14]

During World War I, he was executive secretary of the National Committee of Patriotic Societies.[11] Lewis was director of the savings division of the United States Treasury Department and chief of educational service for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from 1921 to 1923.[9][1]

Because of his earlier work during World War I, Lewis was appointed by Governor Arthur James as the director of the Pennsylvania Selective Service System (organising "the draft"), which he did without pay from September 1940 until he stepped down in November 1941 since it detracted from his duties as president of Lafayette College.[9][15]

University career

Lewis was President of George Washington University from June 1923[5] to 1927, and President of Lafayette College from March 1927[11] until retiring in July 1945, shortly before his death.[9][16] He was succeeded by Ralph Cooper Hutchison.[17]

Other

Lewis was a contributor to the Encyclopædia Britannica.[11] He was awarded a patent for a milk bottle holder in 1918.[18]

Personal life

He married Ruth Durand in Lake Forest on December 20, 1906[2][19] and they had a daughter, Sarah Durand Lewis Betts Hale (1907–2006).[20][21][22] They had a summer home in Colebrook, Connecticut, where they later lived.[20]

They spent more than a year travelling and studying in Europe, including England and Berlin, from June 1913 to October 1914. This enabled Lewis to obtain a Ph.D. from the University of Berlin.[7][8]

Death

Lewis died from a heart attack while driving near his home on November 11, 1945.[9][16] His widow Ruth died in 1953.[23]

Books

  • Lewis, William Mather. Selected Readings from the Most Popular Novels. Hinds and Noble, 1903.
  • Lewis, William Mather. The Voices of Our Leaders. Hinds, Hayden & Elderedge, Inc., 1917[24]
  • Lewis, William Mather. From a College Platform: Addresses. Dial Press, Inc., 1932.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Bamberger, Miriam (October 6, 2003). "Presidential Profiles". GW Hatchet. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "William Mather Lewis, 67, Dies Suddenly at Hartford". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. November 12, 1945. p. 2. Retrieved May 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ The Christian Century. Vol. 55. Christian Century Foundation. 1938. p. 1166.
  4. ↑ Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society. Vol. 16. Illinois State Historical Society. 1923. p. 195.
  5. 1 2 "Elected University Head.; W.M. Lewis Is Chosen by George Washington Board". New York Times. June 1, 1923.
  6. 1 2 The School Journal. Vol. 71. E.L. Kellogg & Co. 1905. p. 604.
  7. 1 2 3 "Society and Entertainments". Chicago Daily Tribune. May 24, 1913.
  8. 1 2 "News of Chicago Clubs and the Society World". Chicago Daily Tribune. July 1, 1914.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "William Mather Lewis Dies at Wheel of Car In Hartford, Conn". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. November 12, 1945. p. 14. Retrieved May 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Sanua, Marianne Rachel (1998). Here's to our fraternity: one hundred years of Zeta Beta Tau, 1898-1998. UPNE. p. 140. ISBN 0-87451-879-2.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Education: Education Notes, Mar. 14, 1927". Time. March 14, 1927. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  12. ↑ "New Head Master at Lake Forest". Chicago Daily Tribune. November 18, 1905.
  13. ↑ New York State education. Vol. 24. New York State Teachers Association. October 1936. p. 61.
  14. ↑ Michigan alumnus. Vol. 23. University of Michigan. Alumni Association. 1917. p. 185.
  15. ↑ "State's Draft Head Resigns". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 14, 1941. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  16. 1 2 "Dr. W.M. Lewis, 67, College Ex-Head; President of Lafayette for 18 Years Dies--Held Same Post at George Washington U." New York Times. November 12, 1945. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Hutchison Elected Lafayette President". Reading Eagle. May 12, 1945. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  18. ↑ Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, Volume 255. United States Patent and Trademark Office. 1919. p. 108.
  19. ↑ "In the Society World". Chicago Daily Tribune. November 30, 1906.
  20. 1 2 "The Colebrook Historical Society, Inc" (PDF). 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Hale, Sarah Lewis". Hartford Courant. October 4, 2006. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  22. ↑ The Smith College monthly. Vol. 15. 1908. p. 396.
  23. ↑ "Mrs. William M. Lewis". New York Times. May 29, 1953.
  24. ↑ The Voice of Our Leaders on Archive.org
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