Los
Angeles County
Biographies
JOSEPH ALBERT LEWIS
Among the men who aided materially
in the development of Los Angeles at the beginning of this century, mention
should be made of the late Joseph A. Lewis, who was one of the men that engaged
in the real estate business on a safe and sound basis and contributed his share
towards building up the city. He was
born in Buffalo, New York, a son of Walter and Sarah (Bodwell)
Lewis, both old settlers of Buffalo but who moved to Batavia, New York, with
their family when Joseph A. was a small boy.
There he attended the public schools and graduated from the high
school. His father died when he was a
young lad and as soon as his school days were over he began for himself. His uncle, Edward V. Vining,
was general manager of the Union Pacific Railroad with headquarters at Kansas
City, Missouri, and this nephew made his home with him and entered upon
railroad work in Kansas City. He later
was sent to Butte, Montana, and continued railroading being connected with the
freight department. When one of the
higher officials was called east, Mr. Lewis was called to fill his position and
continued his connection with the Union Pacific until he resigned to enter the
real estate business with Governor Rickards in
Butte. This association continued for
many years, or until Mr. Lewis decided to engage in business
independently. He bought and sold mines
and real estate for Marcus Daly and other men of prominence and was very
successful. He entered heartily into the
life of the northwest and served one term in the state legislature, but
declined office thereafter to devote his time and attention to his own
interests.
In 1900 at Anaconda, Montana, Mr.
Lewis was united in marriage with Miss Harriot Evans
and about 1906 or 1907 they came west to Los Angeles, where Mr. Lewis again
took up the realty business and met with well deserved success from that period
until his death on November 28, 1923. He
was a member of the Masonic fraternity, having been raised to the third degree
in a Montana lodge. He was a member of
the Chapter and Knights Templar in Los Angeles and also held membership in the
California Club. Politically he was a Democrat
and a member of the Episcopal Church. He
was much interested in the growth of the southland and held membership in the
Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Lewis was a man
of vision and saw the potential possibilities of Los Angeles to become one of
the largest cities in the union and his advice was often sought by those
wanting to invest in realty here. He was
a friendly and companionable man and had a friendly smile for everybody he
met. His home life was ideal and at his
death the city lost one of her devoted citizens and his friends and relatives a
man whose place is hard to fill.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: California of the South
Vol. IV, by John Steven McGroarty, Pages 325-326, Clarke Publ.,
Chicago, Los Angeles, Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPHIES