The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-01-27

Hon. William ]. Lewis died at
O'Clock Saturday morning, at the fam
lily residence, 2O17 Edna avenue, after
an illness of ten weeks. He was a
sufferer from a complication of diseases
and several times during the past few
| months he was close to deaths door.
| The end came as a relief to long
| period of intense suffering.
| Judge Lewis was born in Carbondale,
| Aug. 81. 1S43, and was son of john
ID. and Anna Lewis, nee Hopkins, being
the youngest of a family of five.
He attended the Carbondale schools
| until 8 years of age, after which he
| began to work in the mines, but the
work was dstasteful and at an early
age he left home and obtained work on
| a farm. His father, John d. Lewis,
who had been a miner in the Delaware
| and Hudson colleries, purchased farm
| in 1858 in Clifford township, Susque-
hanna county, and turned his atten-
| tion to farming. William J. Lewis then
| returned to the parental home, where
| he remained until his enlistment in
| the Union army in the fall of 1862. He
entered Company B, One Hundred and
| Seventy seventh Pennsylvania infantry,
and was mustered into service at Mont
| rose as private out for nine months.
| The company served principally along
| the Dismal swamp in Southern Vir-
Ginia. When the battle of Gettysburg
| was fought, it was on it's way to that
place to reinforce the Army of the
| Potomac. and later was assigned to
| General Slocum's corps. 1t was mus
tered out at Harrisburg in September,
| 1868.
Became a Teacher.
Mr.. Lewis returned home, after a
years absence. Though his opportuni-
| ties for attending school were limited,
| by self-culture he acquired fair edu-
| cation and became a successful teacher
| in the public schools. AS labor was
| very scarce in the coal mines and the
work was profitable, he and his
brother, John F., late in 1864, engaged
in mining at Jermyn. Eearly in 1866
William ]. Lewis came to Scranton and
engaged in the mercantile business in
Providence. Soon, however, selling out,
he started a hardware business and for
two years was a member of the firm of
Lewis & Fish, after which he con-
tinued alone for five years. Then he
began as a fire insurance agent and
conVeyancer and built up large busi-
ness, which he conducted until 1886
In 1875, Governor Hartranft appointed
him paymaster of the Ninth regiment
National Guard of Pennsylvania, and
in 1879 the same governor appointed
him one of the first auditors of Lacka-
wanna county, but he did not accept
the Office. On the separation of the
county from Luzerne, he was elected
associate judge and with Judges Hand
ley, Hand and Associate p. NJ. Mohitt.
held court in old Washington hall for
five years, when, under the provisions
of the new constitution, the office was
abolished.
In the fall of 1885, after a hotly con-
tested fight. he was nominated on the
Republican ticket for sheriff and was
elected by majority of nearly 1000.
Notwithstanding that his predecessor.
Randolph Crippen, Democrat, had
been elected by a majority of LOO,
while his successor, Charles Robinson. J
also u Democrat, was elected by more
than 1000 majority. In January, 1889.
he took the oath of Office and served
efficiently for three years.
eCiCiti tnoho5Sh'
On October /, 1890, Judge Lewis ac-
cepted the post of general manager OF
the New York, Susquehanna and West |
ern Coal company, and held the posi- !
tion until the company's mines and |
railroad passed into the hands of the |
Erie. He was president of the Susque-
hanna Connecting Railroad company, |
which was chartered in 1896 and built
road, which runs from Wilkes Barre TO |
Snoudsburg.
He was also largely interested in |
several OF the leading enterprises OF
Scranton. lie was president of the |
LackaWanna Telephone company, d. !
rector in the Dime Deposit and Dis |
count bank. president of the newly ,
organized North End bank, and organ-
izer and eX-presldent of the North |
Scranton board of trade.
He was also a member of Ezra Grif- !
fin post, No. l39, Grand Army of the |
Republic, and Hiram lodge, No, 26l |
Free and Accepted Masons.
In December, 1868, he was married |
to Miss Adeline Wells, of Susquehanna |
county, who died year later. In 1857 |
he was married to Miss Cassandra |
Bloss, who died in 1877. Fifteen years |
ago, Judge Lewis was married to Miss |
Mary Griffith, who survives him. The |
surviving children are w. j. Lewis, jr, |
assistant inspector of the New York, |
Susquehanna and Western Coal COM
pany; Mrs. Aria Powell and Walford |
@. Lewis.
An Upright Man.
Judge Lewis was a staunch, upright |
man and a Christian in deed as well |
as word. For many years he was am ]