George F. Lewis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George F. Lewis
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Lewis, circa 1863
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| Mayor of Saginaw, Michigan | |
| In office 1877–1879 |
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| Preceded by | Fred H. Potter |
| Succeeded by | Lyman W. Bliss |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 7, 1828 Harvard, Massachusetts, US |
| Died | May 30, 1890 (aged 61) Saginaw, Michigan, US |
| Occupation | journalist, businessman |
| Known for | journalism and Michigan historian |
George F. Lewis (June 7, 1828 – May 30, 1890) was an important American journalist and newspaper owner in the 1800s. He helped share big news, like the first time presidential election results were sent by telegraph! Lewis also played a part in finding valuable copper in Michigan. Later in his life, he even became the mayor of Saginaw, Michigan.
Contents
Early Life of George Lewis
George F. Lewis was born on June 7, 1828, in Harvard, Massachusetts. He grew up with one sister and one brother. When he was about seven years old, in 1835, his family moved to Mount Clemens, Michigan.
Lewis's Career in Newspapers
Starting in Journalism
When George Lewis was ten years old, he delivered newspapers for the Mt. Clemens Patriot. He was a pioneer journalist, meaning he was one of the first in his field. In 1838, he helped print the Macomb Statesman newspaper. This was at the printing office of John N. Ingersoll, who owned and edited the paper.
Exploring for Copper
In 1845, when Lewis was seventeen, he took a four-week trip. He traveled to the Lake Superior region in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with General John Stockton, a government agent. On his way back, Lewis took samples of copper ore to Boston and New York City. These samples were checked to see how valuable they were.
Lewis went back to Upper Michigan in mid-1847 to get more copper ore samples. On his return trip to New York City, he met Horace Greeley. Greeley was a famous journalist from the New-York Tribune. They talked about newspaper matters.
Reporting Big News
Lewis returned to Copper Harbor, Michigan in Michigan's Lake Superior region in early 1847. He stayed there until November. When he came back, Thomas M. Perry hired him as an apprentice journalist. Perry was from the Mt. Clemens Patriot.
Lewis worked for Perry until mid-1848. In July, he got a job at the Detroit Daily Commercial Bulletin. This newspaper had just started two months earlier. Lewis helped print the news of Zachary Taylor winning the presidential election in 1848. This was the first time news of a president's win was sent by telegraph!
During the winter of 1848 to 1849, Lewis worked in Michigan's government printing office. This was at the state capital for Munger & Pattison. In 1849, he started his own weekly newspaper, the Macomb County Herald. He worked there until 1851.
Owning Newspapers
Lewis started the Port Huron Commercial newspaper in 1851. He continued publishing it until April 1855. In September of that year, he bought the Peninsular Advocate newspaper in Mt. Clemens. He fully controlled this weekly newspaper until 1863.
In 1863, Lewis partnered with Major E. W. Lyon. Their partnership lasted until 1867. That year, B. M. Thompson became another partner. The three of them ran the newspaper together.
In March 1868, Lewis, Lyon, Thompson, and Joseph Leeman started the Saginaw Daily Courier. In December, Thompson bought out all the other partners. He later sold the newspaper to the Saginaw Enterprise Publishing Company.
Lewis also started several other Michigan newspapers. These included the Saginairian in 1869, the Mt Pleasant Journal in 1880, and the Bay City Daily Morning Call in 1881.
Lewis's Personal Life
Census Taker and Historian
In 1850, George Lewis was one of the Deputy Marshals for Macomb County, Michigan. He helped take the census for eight towns. He had experience with this task because he helped his father take the 1845 Michigan census.
Lewis was also a historian of the Saginaw Valley in Michigan. This means he studied and wrote about its past.
Mayor of Saginaw
George F. Lewis served as the mayor of Saginaw, Michigan from 1877 to 1879. He passed away in Saginaw on May 30, 1890, due to heart disease.
