Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-06-01
THE COMING BACK
OF GEN. R. ALLYN LEWIS
PHOENIX A BETTER TOWN THAN
HE THOUGHT.
He Also Believes that the Best Is
Before Il.

\ conclusion reached by General
r Allyn Lewis proves again that
men Of good Judgment who IN sud
den lapse of judgment leave the city,
always come back. General Lewis
tried il ten years ago after a resi-
donce here of fifteen years. Since
then he has been successfully en-
gagged in business in New York and
Mexico and has Travelled over CONT
mental Europe
4 month Or more ago he returned
To- the territory 10 look after varied
interests he had retained here and on
coming To Phoenix he marveled at
the growth that had taken place
since his departure. He then began
Il study OF the situation and of the
prospects Of Phoenix.
As result OF this study he de-
cided that while he had missed ten
years Of a better Phoenix than he
had ever known, the best was
stil To come and that he would re-
main here and get his share of it.
Accordingly he made a trim to the
coast and on his return he bought a
haI interest in the agency Of the
Pacific Mutual Life for this terri
tory
He VIII accordingly settle down
again and devote himself to the life
Insurance business. the bringing in
Of capital and the care Of his min
ing property in Cochise county and
his interests elsewhere in the terri
tory
General Lewis, Of course. regrets
that he sold his extensive real es-
tate holdIgs in Phoenix six years
ago. He had acquired a great deal
Of real estate, practically all Of il
being in what is now the business
district. He owned and built the
building occupied by the Arizona
Mercantile company. He sold il for
$4,000 and that was then regarded
as good price. though now il would
bring probably twice that much. Sev-
cral other tracts owned by General
Lewis on Adams and Washington
streets were sold by him at that
time and all of them have more than
doubled in value with the last six
ears
But he made money elsewhere He
went 10 New York to take charge Of
the eastern business Of the Greene
Consolidated and when he had dis
posed Of that he opened a brokerage
office in the heart Of the financial
district. He had branches in St.
Louis and Los Angeles His business
was very successful and he began in
1903 the organization of the Interna-
2
had secured the cooperation of the !
leading financiers OF the French capt. |
tai. The object of the organization !
was to omen market in Paris for |
American securities ap object which |
has just now been accomplished by |
J. p. Morgan
Then came the panic of 1907 Like !
most others. General Lewis did not |
believe that it possessed the element |
of permanency and that belief was |
not dissipated until three-quarters Of |
q million dollars had been dissipated |
General Lewis throughout had |
maintained friendly relations with the |
New York Life, one Of whose most |
energetic and successful western !
agents he had been for several years |
He had been offered by the company |
the charge Of all its business in Mex
leo. He now accepted it and remained |
there until recently
1t was by an accident that General |
Lewis came to Phoeniv twenty -fiv.
years ago, in advance of the first
railroad. He was a New York boy
who happened to be in San Francis
co. well connected in banking circles.
He was called upon by Sol LEWIS
who induced him TO come To Phoenix
and enter the First National Bank of
Arizona. He came, not expecting TO
stay. but not long after his arrival
he met New York girl and she be-
came his wife. Within two or three
years. General Lewis was rooted To