Evening star., 1915-08-17

John B. Lewis, president of the Ma
tional Association of Patriotic Instruc-
tors, who is expected to attend the G.
"a. r. encampment, is a resident Of Mas
sachusetts and a member of Edward
w. Kinsley Post, No. 113, G. A. R., of
Boston. He was born in Wilmington,
Mass. August 80. 1S41. At the out
break of the civil war he enlisted in
the 44th Massachusetts Regiment, serv-
ing until it was mustered out in 1868.
Department of North Carolina, and Mr..
Lewis was in the battles of Little
Creek, Rawles, Mills, kinston, White
hall and GolSsboro.
At the close of the war Mr.. Lewis To-
Gated at Shreveport, La, and conducted
Ia successful shoe business for fifteen
years. While there he was elected IL
derman. and his business ability and
foresight were not only valuable in the
conduct of municipal affairs, but bank
ers and prominent business men fire.
quently sought his advice.
Opens a Mandatory.
Returning north, Mr.. Lewis continued
in the shoe trade under the name of j.
B, Lewis Company, establishing a ware
turing his goods in a small factory at
Abingdon, Mass, which was followed
by others at Randolph, Avon and Brock
ton. He eventually removed his head
quarters to a large six-story building
in Boston, each floor of which covered
half acre of space. He was one of
the pioneers to introduce American
made shoes into England and Germany.
After forty-five years of activity in
the shoe business Mr.. Lewis retired in
1900, and has since devoted much of
his time to work for the uplift of hu-
manity. He is especially active in the
temperance cause, believing that al
cohol is now the only foe which Amer
lea has to fear. He is a member of the
board of managers of the National
Temperance Society, a life member of
T. u, and has membership in the Bos-
ton Y NJ. c. A. and the Boston Y M.
c. L. He is also an executive officer of
the assachusetts Total Abstinence So
ciety.
For several years he was chairman
of the Massachusetts state prohibition
committees; was at one time the nomi-
nee for governor. and several times for
other state officers of the prohibition
party. He is now vice chairman of the
prohibition national committee. In 1907
he was elected a member of the Massa-
chusets legislature.
Appointed Instructor in 1909.
Mr.. Lewis was appointed national
patriotic instructor of the G. A. R. in
the fall of 1909, by Commander-in-
Chief Van SAINT, and again by Com
mander-in-Chie Trimble in the fall
of 1911 He rendered distinguished
service in the cause of the G. A. r. in
all work of patriotic character. Mr.
Lewis is an ardent advocate of frater-
nifty between those who wore the blue
and those who wore the gray
While holding the office of national
patriotic instructor of the G. A. R. he
became convinced of the need of a ma
tional association wherein all patriotic
workers could unite, and the result was
the National Association of Patriotic
instructors, of which he has been pres
ident for three years.
He is speaker of ability, possessing
considerable dramatic talent, which,
with his intense earnestness and power
of gaining and holding the attention of
an audience, makes his addresses of
great interest. He has been an exten-
sive traveller, visiting all countries of
the world but Australia.