Lewis Lehrman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lewis Lehrman
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| Born | August 15, 1938 (age 86) Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Yale University (BA) Harvard University (MA) |
| Political party | Republican |
Lewis E. "Lew" Lehrman (born August 15, 1938) is an American businessman, politician, and historian. He is known for supporting the study of American history using original documents. In 2005, he received the National Humanities Medal at the White House. This award honored his work on American history, especially his studies of President Abraham Lincoln, and his ideas about money.
In 1982, Lehrman ran for Governor of New York. He lost to Mario Cuomo by a small number of votes. Lehrman has written several books about history and money. These include Lincoln at Peoria: The Turning Point (2008) and Lincoln "by littles" (2013). He also wrote Churchill, Roosevelt & Company (2017) and Lincoln & Churchill: Statesmen at War (2018).
His books on money include True Gold Standard (2012) and Money, Gold, and History (2013). He also helped write The Case for Gold (1982). Lehrman writes for the Lincoln Institute, which has websites about Abraham Lincoln. Today, he is a senior partner at L. E. Lehrman & Co., an investment company he started in 1981. He also leads the Lehrman Institute, a group that researches public policy.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Lewis Lehrman was born on August 15, 1938, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His father, Benjamin Sachs Lehrman, was a leader at the Rite-Aid Corporation.
Lehrman went to The Hill School, a boarding school. He started teaching history at Yale University in 1960. Later, he studied at Harvard University, where he earned a master's degree.
Business Career
Lehrman has been a successful businessman and writer. He was once the president of Rite Aid Corporation.
Growing Rite Aid
Rite Aid Corporation grew from his family's grocery business in Pennsylvania. This business was started by his grandfather, Louis Lehrman. As a teenager, Lewis Lehrman worked part-time at the company. He continued working there during summers while studying at Yale and Harvard.
In 1962, the company started opening health and beauty stores. Lehrman joined full-time in 1964. That same year, the first Rite Aid pharmacy opened in New York. Lehrman helped find older stores in towns that needed tenants. He and his partners would quickly paint and remodel these stores. They would stock the shelves and open for business very fast.
Rite Aid became a public company in 1968. This means people could buy shares of its stock. At that time, Lewis Lehrman was the company's president. He was also the largest stockholder. He helped the company grow a lot.
Lehrman left his role as Rite Aid president in 1977. He fully separated from the company in 1981.
Other Business Ventures
In the late 1980s, Lehrman was a managing director at Morgan Stanley. This is a big financial company. In 1991, he started his own investment company, L.E. Lehrman & Co. He also invested in George W. Bush's company, Arbusto Energy.
Running for Governor
Lehrman decided to run for governor of New York in 1982. He believed that holding a public office was the best way to make a difference. He was known for wearing red suspenders in his TV ads. On June 16, 1982, he was chosen as the main Republican candidate.
Lehrman wanted to lower taxes for people in New York. He often talked about how the government should serve the people. He asked voters if the state should be run by politicians or by its 18 million citizens.
Lehrman ran as a Republican and Conservative Party candidate. He lost the election to Mario Cuomo. Cuomo won by a small margin, 51% to 48%. Lehrman won many counties outside of New York City.
The debates between Lehrman and Cuomo were lively. They discussed important issues like the state's economy and crime. Lehrman spent a lot of money on TV and radio ads. These ads helped make him well-known across the state.
History and Education Work
In the 1970s, Lehrman helped review the history programs at Yale University. He and Richard Gilder started collecting historical documents. Their goal was to make these documents available to students and the public. This collection is now at the New-York Historical Society. It has over 60,000 historical items.
In 1972, Lehrman founded the Lehrman Institute. This group studies economic and foreign policy from a historical point of view. In 1994, Lehrman and Gilder also founded the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. They wanted to help get important historical documents into public hands.
They also started the Lincoln and Soldiers Institute at Gettysburg College. This institute gives out the Lincoln Prize. This award honors the best historical work about Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War. They also created the Gilder Lehrman Center at Yale University. This center studies slavery and abolition. It gives out the Frederick Douglass Prize.
Lehrman believes that studying American history is very important. He has said that many schools no longer teach enough American history. He wants to help more students and teachers learn about the past. He believes that understanding history helps people be better citizens.
Lincoln Institute
Lehrman founded the Lincoln Institute to support the study of Abraham Lincoln. The institute helps scholars and groups who research Lincoln's life. It creates books, videos, and online resources about Lincoln. It also encourages historians to work together.
The institute manages six websites about Abraham Lincoln. In 2013, Lehrman published Lincoln "by littles". This book is a collection of his essays about Lincoln and the Civil War.
Supporting Important Causes
Lehrman has been active in many civic and conservative groups. He was a trustee at the American Enterprise Institute and The Heritage Foundation. He also supported the Pierpont Morgan Library.
In 1983, he helped start Citizens for America. This group aimed to support certain policies. President Ronald Reagan called Lehrman to discuss this idea. They wanted to create a group that would focus on economic and national security policies.
Gold Standard Ideas
Lehrman has long supported the idea of a "gold standard." This means that a country's money would be directly linked to gold. He was part of the U.S. Gold Commission in 1981. In 1982, he co-wrote The Case for Gold.
Lehrman believes that paper money can hurt working people. He argues that a gold standard helps protect the value of people's wages and salaries. In 2011, he launched "Gold Standard Now." This website shares news about money policies and supports a return to the gold standard.
Lehrman American Studies Center
In 2005, Lehrman helped fund the Lehrman American Studies Center. This center works to improve higher education. It creates opportunities for students and scholars to discuss American history. The center offers programs, including a summer institute for young academics. It also has an online library of teaching materials.
Lehrman believes that students learn a lot when they work closely with historians. He has tried to create similar learning experiences through his institutes and centers.
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