Alfred Blevins "Blev" Lewelling (1920-1996)
Clete Ramsey - Mar 17, 2013
In answer to Dorothy’s plea . . .
On 10 February 2013, Don R. Brownlee, a prolific poster to Ancestry.com message boards (16,000+ posts), posted this item on the Lewelling family message board:
“Alfred B. Lewelling of Albany, OR 1943”
“Alfred is pictured in the Gosport, yearbook of the 43-E class at Morton Air Academy in Blythe, CA. He is a flight cadet. I’m not kin, but thought this might help someone researching the family.”
Besides my Lewallen connection through my mother’s maternal grandmother, which takes me on frequent Lewelling genealogical detours and wild goose chases when I’m rooting around, I have a long-standing interest in World War II airfields, both in the United States and England. So, I found Don’s post about Alfred B. Lewelling doubly interesting.
Some quick “Googling” determined that Air Cadet Alfred B. Lewelling was most likely Alfred Blevins Lewelling (1920-1996), a son of Lucius Guy Lewelling and Edna R. (Blevins) Lewelling, and a grandson of Asa Lewelling and Amanda V. (Hord) Lewelling. During World War II, “Blev” Lewelling flew in combat in the Pacific with the Army Air Force’s 9th Fighter Squadron (Flying Knights), 49th Fighter Group, from 1943 to 1945. By several accounts he was an “Ace,” with five victories.
Blythe is located at the eastern end of Riverside County, near the California-Arizona border, 225 miles east of Los Angeles and 150 miles west of Phoenix. Morton Air Academy at Gary Field (later W. R. Byron Airport, a private airfield), seven miles west of Blythe, was contracted by the Army Air Corps early in the war to give primary training to Air Corps cadets. Blythe Army Airfield, a training base for B-17 “Flying Fortress” and B-24 “Liberator” bomber crews, was nearby.
Asa Lorenzo Lewelling (1915-2007), one of Blev Lewelling’s brothers, appears to also have been a military aviator in World War II. This “In Memoriam” note for him appeared in the Summer 2008 issue of the “Chronicle,” the magazine Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon (http://legacy.lclark.edu/dept/chron/inmemoriamsm08.html):
“Asa Lewelling B.A. ‘36, September 7, 2007, age 92. During World War II he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross as a bomber pilot. A graduate of Willamette University College of Law, Lewelling practiced law in Salem for six decades.”
I’ve yet to find an obituary for Blev Lewelling, but I did find one for Asa Lewelling in the November 2007 Oregon State Bar bulletin (http://www.osbar.org/publications/bulletin/07nov/obits.html):
“Distinguished Salem lawyer and former Oregon State Bar president Asa L. Lewelling passed away in his sleep on Sept. 7, 2007. He was 92 years old.
Lewelling was born on April 4, 1915, in Albany, Ore., and he grew up attending Albany schools. He then attended and graduated from Albany College, which is now known as Lewis & Clark College, and earned his J.D. from Willamette University College of Law in 1939.
From 1942 to 1946, Lewelling served in World War II as a member of the Fifth Air Corps. His efforts in the war earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross, America’s oldest military aviation award. After returning from duty, he returned to the practice of law where he worked both as a defense attorney for insurance companies and as a sole general practitioner.
Lewelling practiced law in Salem for 60 years and was admired by his peers and by judges for his knowledge of the law, integrity and commanding presence. His peers respected him so much they elected him president of the Oregon State Bar in 1973.
Lewelling was an outdoorsman at heart. He loved fishing for Chinook, fly fishing, hunting and other opportunities to enjoy nature. He had a reputation among his friends of having a broad knowledge of different species of birds and bugs from his time spent outside. He was also a skilled gardener, earning the nickname "Tomato King" from his vast garden of homegrown tomato plants (and other fruits and vegetables).
Lewelling was also very proud of his family heritage. His father, L. Guy Lewelling, was a respected judge in Linn and Marion counties, and his family came from a long line of pioneers, including his great-great-uncles Seth and Henderson Lewelling, who brought the first fruit trees to the Northwest.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a son and two brothers. Survivors include his wife Shelley, a son, two daughters, a granddaughter and two great-granddaughters.”
The “Fifth Air Corps” may actually have been the 5th Air Force, a U.S. Army Air Force component active in the Southwest Pacific in World War II.
In addition to Asa, Blev Lewelling also had brothers James Henderson Lewelling (1925-1992) and Lucius Guy Lewelling (1929-1984).
Something doesn’t add up in Asa Lewelling’s obituary. By my count, Asa (d. 2007) should have been preceded in death by three brothers, not the stated two; Lucius Guy (1984), James Henderson (d. 1992), and Alfred Blevins (d. 1996). Am I wrong?
This was the senior Lucius Guy Lewelling’s household in Albany, Linn County, Oregon, on the 1930 census [My additions in brackets.]:
LEWELLING [Lucius] Guy Head 47 Male White Married NE IA IL
LEWELLING Edna R. Wife 40 Female White Married OR KY MO
LEWELLING Asa F. [L.] Son 15 Male White Single OR NE OR
LEWELLING [Alfred] Blevins Son 9 Male White Single OR NE OR
LEWELLING James H. Son 4 Male White Single OR NE OR
LEWELLING Lucius G. Son 0 Male White Single OR NE OR
CLEM Gertrude Servant 23 Female White Single OR IA OR
I’ve found more information, should anyone be interested.
Billie Harris - Mar 18, 2013
One of Lucius Guy Lewelling's grandsons (Mike) is the one who did the DNA for us and still lives in Oregon. Although we can't make the connection with Anderson or Wiley, the DNA is a match with those who've tested for those two lines.
It was one of Mike's cousins (owns the Lewelling Winery in St. Helena, CA) who put me in touch with him to ask for the DNA.
Clete Ramsey - Mar 26, 2013
Dorothy,
Here’s some more.
Researching WW II U.S. Army Air Force fighter pilot Alfred Blevins “Blev” Lewelling (1920-1996), a son of Lucius Guy Lewelling and Edna Rae (Blevins) Lewelling, I found this article in the online archives of the Democrat-Herald of Albany, Linn, County, Oregon:
http://democratherald.com/news/local/article_d16f8804-1852-1
1df-b930-001cc4c03286.html
“Tombstone discovery surprises couple”
February 12, 2010 10:30 pm
By Cathy Ingalls, Albany Democrat-Herald
Danelle and Rick Hart were removing an old side porch at their southwest Albany home recently when they discovered a grave marker and two old, marble tombstones buried beneath layers of concrete and gravel.
“When we found them I didn’t know what to do with them,” Danelle Hart said. “Some of our friends told us not to tell anyone about them, but others said we should find the families they belong to and see if they might want to come and get them.”
It surprised the Harts to find that grave markers were used as foundation for their porch, which was built by Fred Gentry and his son Sterling between 1948 and 1950.
Hart now wonders if her house was constructed near a family graveyard or if the stones came from the nearby Masonic Cemetery: Perhaps people related to those named on the markers replaced the stones with something newer and no longer needed them. Or maybe the stones had broken apart and were hauled to her house for use in the foundation.
After discovering the stones, the Harts chipped away gravel and concrete affixed to the markers and then set them up in a backyard garden, where they will stay at least for now.
The grave marker is for someone named Gustavus, Father, 1857-1933.
Lucy Lenora Parker is the name on one of the tombstones. It is hard to decipher the obliterated lettering to see whether she is the wife of Lt. Parker or an L.T. Parker. Her death date is April 28, 1890.
The second tombstone reads: Amanda V., wife of A. Lewelling. Her birth date is in the 1850s, with the last number covered by a chunk of concrete stuck to the marble.
There are no records of the Parkers or the Lewellings at the Albany Regional Museum.
However, a former editor at the Capital Journal newspaper in Salem may know the identity of Amanda Lewelling.
Editor Shelley Lewelling’s late husband was Asa Lewelling, a longtime Salem attorney. She believes that Amanda could have been Asa’s grandfather’s first wife. Her Asa was his grandfather’s namesake.
Volume II of “Oregon History,” published in 1952, confirms that Amanda was indeed married to Asa Lewelling.
“The first wife died at a young age,” Shelley Lewelling wrote in an e-mail. “My Asa didn’t ever know her. He knew the second wife, whom he called Grandma Mary, and he loved her a lot, and she was a very good cook.”
Shelley Lewelling said when her husband was 5, he spent an entire summer with Grandpa Asa and Grandmother Mary because his mother was expecting his brother, Blev. Asa had whooping cough or some other childhood problem, she said, so could not be around a newborn.
Lewelling said her husband’s grandparents are buried in Oakville Cemetery.
*****
Having read the article, I did some searching.
I suspect the “Gustavus, Father, 1857-1933” noted in the Democrat-Herald article was Gustavus Nygren, the subject of “Descendants of Gustavus Nygren” (http://www.museum.bmi.net/STEPS%20PEOPLE/Nygren,%20Gustavus.htm).
There is a “Find A Grave” memorial for Gustavus Nygren (1857-1933), who is buried under the same headstone with Christina Nygren (1864-1941) at the Riverside Cemetery, Linn County, Oregon.
There also is a Find A Grave memorial for Lucy Parker (1862-1890), buried under the same headstone as Louis Thomas Parker (1859-1942) at the Sandridge Cemetery, Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon.
A Lewis T. Parker is reported to have married Lucy L. Richardson in Linn County, Oregon, on 3 December 1882.
In 1880, Lucy Richardson (16, b. OR) was listed in the Linn County household of Moses Parker (49, b. OH), as was Moses’ wife Mary C. (43, b. OH). Lucy Richardson’s relationship to head-of-household Moses Parker was “Other.”
Moses Parker (1830-1905) and Mary Catherine (Umphrey) Parker (1836-1926) are reported to have been Louis T. Parker’s parents. Moses Parker’s Oregon Certificate of Death lists his birthplace as Russ County, Ohio. Mary Parker’s Oregon Certificate of Death lists her birthplace as Burlington, Iowa, not in Ohio. Burlington is the seat of Des Moines County, Iowa.
Like their son Louis, Moses and Mary Parker were buried at the Sandridge Cemetery, Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon.
In 1880, Louis T. Parker was not listed as a resident of his father Moses’ Linn County household. Exactly where he was in 1880 has so far escaped me. He may have been the Lewis Parker (21, b. OR), single and a farm laborer, who was head and sole resident of a household in Centerville, Umatilla County, in northeastern Oregon. The nativity data for that Lewis Parker shows his father as having been born in Indiana, not Ohio, and mother as having been born in Iowa.
The “Amanda V., wife of A. Lewelling” noted in the Democrat-Herald article was Amanda Virginia (Hord) Lewelling (1850-1895). Amanda -- Blev Lewelling’s paternal grandmother -- was the first wife of Asa Guy Lewelling (1845-1941). Asa and Amanda Lewelling are buried at the Orleans Cemetery at Orleans, Linn County, Oregon.
A Lebanon Genealogical Society list of burials at the Orleans Cemetery (http://www.usgennet.org/usa/or/town/lebanon/cems/orleans.htm
l) omits Asa Lewelling, but includes Amanda V. Luelling (11 May 1850-12 Aug 1895).
A list of burials at the Orleans Cemetery compiled by the Oregon Gravestone Photo Project (http://www.oregongravestones.org/cemetery.php?cemID=1441) includes burials there for both Asa Guy Lewelling (b. 3 February1845, Salem, Henry County, IA; d. 5 January 1941, Tangent, Linn County, OR) and Amanda Virginia Lewelling (b. 10 May 1850, Wright County, IA; d 12 August 1895, Tangent, Linn County, OR). The Oregon Gravestone Photo Project site also names Guy Lewelling’s second wife as Mary E. Blevins.
Mary Eliza (Blevins) Lewelling (1860-1924) is buried at the Oakville Cemetery at Shed, Linn County, Oregon.
Asa Guy Lewelling was a son of William Lewelling and Serena (Wilson) Lewelling, and a brother of Lorenzo Dow Lewelling (1846-1900), the 12th Governor of Kansas (1893-1895). Brothers Asa and Lorenzo Lewelling were both born in Salem, Henry County, Iowa. Asa and Lorenzo Lewelling’s father William was a brother of “Pioneers of Horticulture in Oregon” Henderson Luelling (1809-1879) and Seth Lewelling (1820-1896).
As noted in the article, former Capital Journal editor Shelley Lewelling was the wife of another Asa Lewelling; Blev Lewelling’s brother, Salem lawyer Asa Lorenzo Lewelling (1915-2007).
Shelley (Burrell) Lewelling was also mentioned in the obituary for her husband Asa, repeated here from my first post in this thread, which appeared in the November 2007 issue of the Oregon State Bar Bulletin:
http://www.osbar.org/publications/bulletin/07nov/obits.html
“Distinguished Salem lawyer and former Oregon State Bar president Asa L. Lewelling passed away in his sleep on Sept. 7, 2007. He was 92 years old.
Lewelling was born on April 4, 1915, in Albany, Ore., and he grew up attending Albany schools. He then attended and graduated from Albany College, which is now known as Lewis & Clark College, and earned his J.D. from Willamette University College of Law in 1939.
From 1942 to 1946, Lewelling served in World War II as a member of the Fifth Air Corps. His efforts in the war earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross, America’s oldest military aviation award. After returning from duty, he returned to the practice of law where he worked both as a defense attorney for insurance companies and as a sole general practitioner.
Lewelling practiced law in Salem for 60 years and was admired by his peers and by judges for his knowledge of the law, integrity and commanding presence. His peers respected him so much they elected him president of the Oregon State Bar in 1973.
Lewelling was an outdoorsman at heart. He loved fishing for Chinook, fly fishing, hunting and other opportunities to enjoy nature. He had a reputation among his friends of having a broad knowledge of different species of birds and bugs from his time spent outside. He was also a skilled gardener, earning the nickname "Tomato King" from his vast garden of homegrown tomato plants (and other fruits and vegetables).
Lewelling was also very proud of his family heritage. His father, L. Guy Lewelling, was a respected judge in Linn and Marion counties, and his family came from a long line of pioneers, including his great-great-uncles Seth and Henderson Lewelling, who brought the first fruit trees to the Northwest.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a son and two brothers. Survivors include his wife Shelley, a son, two daughters, a granddaughter and two great-granddaughters.”
*****
“Tomato King” Asa Lewelling appears to have had the “green thumb” that ran in the family, as evidenced by Henderson Luelling and Seth Lewelling.
Other than their headstones having been found together under the Hart’s side porch in Albany, I can find no other connections between Gustavus Nygren, Lucy (Richardson) Parker, and Amanda (Hord) Lewelling.
Regards,
Clete
Billie Harris - Mar 27, 2013
Clete, what a great piece of information. Always appreciate it when you come up with more information. Had no idea there was a "tomato king" in this line.
Dorothy Campbell - Mar 27, 2013
Clete, thanks! Where do you find all this neat information. Sure wish I had a green thumb
Clete Ramsey - Mar 27, 2013
But wait . . . there’s more.
DNA volunteer Mike Lewelling may know for certain, but I suspect WWII fighter pilot Alfred Blevins “Blev” Lewelling was named after his maternal grandfather, Alfred Blevins (1837-1926). There was this biographical sketch of Alfred Blevins in Volume II of a history of Oregon published in 1922 by the Pioneer Historical Publishing Company of Chicago and Portland:
Blevins, Alfred
Hon. Alfred Blevins, a pioneer of Oregon and a veteran of the Indian wars, for two terms represented his district in the state legislature and is now one of the leading agriculturists and influential citizens of Linn county, operating a valuable ranch of one hundred and sixty acres located one and a half miles west of Tangent. He was born in Kentucky, October 24, 1837, of the marriage of Isaac and Eliza (Maupin) Blevins, the former a native of Tennessee and the latter of Kentucky. In early manhood the father followed blacksmithing and in 1840 he removed to Missouri, purchasing land in Henry county, which he continued to operate until the 12th of May, 1850, when with ox teams he started across the plains for Oregon, arriving in the Willamette valley in the following October. While crossing the Cascade mountains he was caught in a snowstorm and was obliged to abandon five wagons there. He proceeded with the two remaining wagons and it was not until the following summer that he was able to recover those which he had left in the mountains. On arriving in Oregon he took up land in Linn county and this he cleared and developed, continuing its cultivation throughout the remainder of his life. He died in 1885 at the age of eighty-four years and the mother passed away in 1889, when she had reached the venerable age of ninety years.
Their son, Alfred Blevins, was educated in the schools of Missouri and Linn county, Oregon, being thirteen years of age when he accompanied his parents to this state. When eighteen years of age he volunteered for service in the Indian war and after three months' service he was discharged in 1856. Later he re-entered the service, going with a wagon train engaged in hauling supplies to the soldiers who were fighting the red men, and was thus connected with Indian warfare tor about a year. After receiving his discharge he returned home and for a time followed farming but subsequently went to California and for seven years was engaged in mining in that state and in southern Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia. On the expiration of that period he returned to Linn county and purchased his present ranch of one hundred and sixty acres, situated one and one-half miles west of Tangent. Of this he cleared about twenty acres, which in its present highly developed state gives little indication of its raw and unimproved condition when he became its owner. He has made a close study of the needs of the soil and climate in relation to the production of crops here and everything about his place indicates that he follows practical and progressive methods. He has since operated his ranch with the exception of seven years spent in the warehouse business in Tangent and two years at Corvallis, where the family resided during the time the son was pursuing his studies. All of the features of the model farm of the twentieth century are found upon his place and it is one of the attractive farms of Linn county.
On the 18th of September, 1870, Mr. Blevins was united in marriage to Miss Louisiana Maxey, who was born in Monroe county, Missouri, June 8, 1852, and is a daughter of John J. and Laura (Morris) Maxey, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Ohio. When but three years of age the father was taken by his parents to Missouri and in 1860 he started for the west with the intention of settling in Oregon, but went instead to California. However, after residing in the Golden state for four years he made his way to Oregon and in Linn county he operated rented land for some time, later purchasing a tract which he improved and developed, continuing its cultivation for several years, when he went to Idaho and there made his home with his children, passing away in that state in March, 1899. He had survived the mother for a decade, her demise having occurred in 1889. To Mr. and Mrs. Blevins were born nine children, of whom seven survive, namely: Wade H., Clara, Alfred, Georgiana, Edna L., Hattie and Glenn. Those deceased are: Alice, who died in October, 1871, when but an infant; and Laura, who was born in March, 1874, and died in 1891, at the age of seventeen years.
In his political views Mr. Blevins is a democrat and in public affairs he has taken an active and prominent part. In 1883 he was chosen to represent his district in the state legislature and his creditable record in office won for him reelection in 1892. In his public service he ever looked beyond the exigencies of the moment to the opportunities and possibilities of the future. He closely studied all the vital questions which came up for settlement and was a stalwart champion of many measures which found their way to the statute books of the state and are proving of great value to the commonwealth. He has likewise served as road supervisor and in public office he always stood for development and for constructive measures. He holds membership in the local Grange, and fraternally he is identified with the Masons. Coming to this state in 1850, when a boy of thirteen, the various experiences of pioneer life are familiar to Mr. Blevins, and through his industry and enterprise he has contributed to the substantial development and progress of the section in which he lives. He can remember when many of the well cultivated farms were covered with a dense growth of forest trees and when great stretches of land that are now thickly populated presented no indication of civilization. He has made good use of his time and in the evening of life can look back over the past without regret and forward to the future without fear.
*****
The same volume had this biographical sketch of Blev Lewelling’s father, L. [Lucius] Guy Lewelling (1882-1946)
Lewelling, L. Guy
L. Guy Lewelling, attorney at law who is filling the office of city recorder of Albany, is a native of Nebraska, his birth having occurred at Kearney, September 8, 1882. He is a son of Asa and Amanda V. (Hord) Lewelling, the former a native of Illinois and the latter of Virginia. For a considerable period the father was an instructor in the Illinois Reform School, but owing to ill health was obliged to resign that position and went to Nebraska, taking up a homestead near Kearney. This he improved and developed and while there residing was elected county clerk of Phelps county, in which office he served for one term. In 1892 he crossed the plains to Oregon, hoping that the milder climate of this state would prove beneficial to his wife's health. He settled in Linn county, where he rented land, but following his wife's death in 1895 he removed to Albany and while here residing was appointed deputy sheriff, serving in that capacity for four years or two terms. During his second term in the office he married Mary E. Blevins, a daughter of Andrew J. and Alvilda Blevins, who were pioneers of Oregon, coming to this state in the early '50s. Following the completion of his service as sheriff Asa Lewelling resumed his farming operations, in which he has continued, being now seventy-five years of age. He is an honored veteran of the Civil war, having served as a member of an Iowa regiment. While in Texas he was captured and in company with three others managed to escape from prison and make his way to safety. His uncle, Alfred Lewelling, established the first nurseries in this state at Milwaukie, and in the museum of the Oregon Historical Society is to be seen the first cherry tree planted in the state by Mr. Lewelling. These trees were hauled across the plains from Iowa with ox teams and were then transplanted in the soil of Oregon.
L. Guy Lewelling was but ten years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Oregon and his early education was acquired in the schools of Nebraska and of Albany, Oregon. Subsequently he became a student in the Albany College and was graduated therefrom in 1899, when seventeen years of age. He then taught school in Benton and Linn counties for two years, after which he went to Salem and there attended night school for one year, pursuing the study of law, for it was his desire to become a member of the bar. That his education was obtained under difficulties is shown in the fact that in order to meet the expenses of his schooling he secured employment at the state prison, which was then under the supervision of Governor Chamberlain, who later became United States senator from Oregon. Entering Willamette University, he there pursued a law course, still continuing his work at the prison, and was graduated from Willamette University in June, 1911, at which time the LL. B. degree was conferred upon him. In the same month he was admitted to the bar and coming to Albany he opened an office and has continued in practice here. In 1915 he was elected city recorder and municipal judge and his efficient service in that connection won him reelection in 1917 and in 1920 he was elected district attorney taking office January 1, 1921, in which position he is discharging his duties most capably and efficiently. His knowledge of the law is comprehensive and exact and he is regarded as a most able jurist.
On the 13th of October, 1912, Mr. Lewelling was united in marriage to Miss Edna Blevins and they have become the parents of two sons: Asa Lorenzo, who was born April 4, 1915, and Alfred Blevins, born July 11, 1920. Mr. Lewelling gives his political allegiance to the republican party and in 1912 he was elected to represent his district in the state legislature, where he gave earnest and thoughtful consideration to all the vital questions which came up tor settlement and earnestly fought for the support of bills which he believed to be of great benefit to the public at large. His fraternal connections are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Masons and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and in the last named organization he has attained high rank, having passed through all the chairs in the lodge and also filled the office of exalted ruler. He is patriotic and public-spirited and during the World war rendered important and valuable service to the government as a member of the executive board during the Liberty Loan campaigns and also served on the Council of Defense and the Legal Advisory Board, laying aside all business interests and devoting his time and aid to the support of his country at this most critical period of its history. He is a splendid example of American manhood and chivalry and his standing as lawyer and citizen is of the highest.
*****
If I understand the relationship correctly, Andrew Jackson Blevins, the father of Asa Lewellings’s first wife (and cousin), Mary Eliza Blevins, was Alfred Blevins’ older brother.
Alfred Blevins, his wife Louisiana (Maxey) Blevins, his brother Andrew Jackson Blevins, and his sister-in-law, Alvilda (Miller) Blevins, were all buried at the Oakville Cemetery at Shed, Linn County, Oregon, as was Asa Guy Lewelling’s first wife, Mary Eliza (Blevins) Lewelling, Alfred and Louisiana Blevins’ daughter.
The Democrat-Herald article about the found tombstones cites a 1952 Oregon history as a source confirming that Amanda Hord married Asa Lewelling. I think it actually was the 1922 history.
Returning to the subject of naming, I suspect Asa Guy Lewelling’s brother, Kansas Governor Lorenzo Dow Lewelling, was one of many men of his time named after itinerant (and eccentric) preacher Lorenzo Dow (1777-1834).
The website of the National Governors Association (http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/pa
ge_kansas/col2-content/main-content-list/title_lewelling_lor
enzo.html) has this biographical sketch of Lorenzo Dow Lewelling sourced to the second of four volumes of the “Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978,” edited by Robert Sobel and John Raimo, and published in 1978 by Meckler Books of Westport, Connecticut:
Kansas Governor Lorenzo Dow Lewelling
Office Dates: Jan 09, 1893 - Jan 14, 1895
Born: Dec 21, 1846
Passed: Sep 03, 1900
Birth State: Iowa
Party: Democrat
Family: Married Ida Bishop; four children
School(s): Eastman, Whittier College
LORENZO D. LEWELLING, the twelfth governor of Kansas, was born in Salem, Iowa on December 21, 1846. His education was attained at Knox College, the Eastman Business College in New York, and at Whittier College, where he graduated in 1867. Before finishing his education, he held various jobs. He worked as a newspaper publisher, a carpenter, a teacher in a black school, a railroad bridge-builder, and a towpath worker on the Erie Canal. During the Civil War, Lewelling was discharged from an Iowa regiment, due to the fact that he was not of legal age and also because of his relative's religious objections. After his military release, he served as superintendent of the Iowa Women's Reform School, a position he held for fourteen years. He also edited an "anti-ring" Republican paper in Des Moines from 1880 to 1882. In 1887, he relocated to Wichita, Kansas, where he established a loan business and commission firm. He entered politics serving as chairman of the Sedgwick county People's party, which had deep-seated feelings of integrating with the Democratic Party. Lewelling won the 1892 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was sworn into the governorship on January 9, 1893. During his tenure, the Australian ballot was sanctioned, an eighteen-month compensation allowance was authorized on mortgages, a coal strike was negotiated, and the appointment of Mary Elizabeth Lease as superintendent of the state board of charities was challenged. Lewelling lost his reelection bid and left office on January 14, 1895. He later served as a member of the Kansas State Senate from 1896 to 1900, was a member of the State Railway Commission from 1897 to 1899, and served as a land agent for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in 1900. Governor Lorenzo D. Lewelling passed away on September 3, 1900, and was buried at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Wichita, Kansas.
This shorter biographical sketch of Governor Lewelling appears on the website (http://www.kslib.info/government-information/kansas-informat
ion/kansas-governors/lorenzo-dow-lewelling.html) of the Kansas State Library:
Lorenzo Dow Lewelling (1893-1895)
Politician, Governor
Born: 21 December 1846, Salem, Iowa
Died: Arkansas City, Kansas.
The state's first Populist governor (1893-1895), Lorenzo D. Lewelling, was born in Salem, Iowa, on December 21, 1846. He did not move to Kansas until 1887 but quickly became a popular reform speaker. Five years after finishing his single term as governor, Lewelling died in Arkansas City, at age 53.
*****
Finally, I have a “black thumb,” not a green one. I’m particularly deadly to houseplants. I can do shrubs and flowers in beds around the house and in containers on the front porch and patio. However, they serve mainly as a salad bar for the many deer in the area. Some plants are advertised as “deer resistant,” but I’ve found the deer will eat almost any plant if they’re hungry enough.
Regards,
Clete
Billie Harris - Mar 29, 2013
Here's a website with an interesting photo of the Henderson Lewelling home. I don't think it's been posted previously. I remember much of what's posted on this site but guess I forgot (if I even knew) Henderson's fourth wife divorced him.
http://lucascountyan.blogspot.com/2011/02/henderson-lewellin
g-salem-beyond.html