Francis Lewis
Born: March 21, 1713
Died: December 30, 1802
Colony/State: New York
Occupation / Public Role: Merchant, legislator, delegate to the Continental Congress
Contribution to the Founding Era: Delegate to the Continental Congress, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and one of New York’s leading Revolutionary-era merchants and political figures.
Francis Lewis was born in Llandaff, Wales, and was one of the few signers of the Declaration who had been born outside the American colonies. The U.S. House records that he attended Westminster School in London, entered the countinghouse of a London merchant, and immigrated to America in the 1730s, eventually establishing mercantile houses in New York and Philadelphia.
Before the Revolution, Lewis built a successful commercial career and had already seen the rougher side of imperial conflict. According to the U.S. House, during the French and Indian War he served as an aide to General Mercer, was captured at Oswego, New York, and was taken prisoner to France. After his return, the colonial government granted him land in recognition of his service.
Lewis entered public life as tensions with Great Britain grew. He was a delegate to the Stamp Act Congress in 1765 and later served in the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1779. He signed the Declaration of Independence as one of New York’s four signers. The National Archives lists him as 63 years old in 1776 and identifies his occupation as merchant.
The war touched his family directly. British forces reportedly destroyed his property at Whitestone, Long Island, and his wife, Elizabeth Lewis, was captured by the British and imprisoned for a time before being exchanged. That part of his story is a reminder that for many signers the Revolution did not stay on paper. It came right through the front door and kicked the furniture over.
After independence, Lewis continued in national service. The U.S. House notes that he served as a commissioner of the Board of Admiralty in 1779. He later withdrew from public life and died in New York City in 1802. Though he is less famous today than some of the larger founding names, Francis Lewis was one of New York’s key Revolutionary figures and one of the immigrant signers who helped shape the new nation.
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