The Judge is numbered among the native sons of this county, his birth having here occurred on the 8th of November, 1853. His father, Daniel J. Lewis, was a native of Kentucky, and married Harriet Holston, who was born in Virginia. Amid the wild scenes of frontier life in Mills county Judge Lewis was reared, and in the work of the farm he assisted, performing his share in the labors of field and meadow. He attended the district schools until seventeen years of age and then entered Tabor College, where he was a student for two years. Subsequently he matriculated in the law department of Iowa College. He was a member of the class of 1874 and immediately after his graduation he returned to his native county and began practice in Malvern, where he remained until 1890, when he came to Glenwood, the county seat. Here he enjoyed a distinctively representative clientage. About the time he began practice Judge Lewis was united in marriage to one of his schoolmates of early days, Miss Mary L. Witt, who was born in Colorado. The Judge has long been recognized as a leader in political circles and is a prominent Republican whose views carry weight in the councils of his party. From 1879 until 1881 he represented his district in the state legislature of Iowa and served as speaker pro tem. He was a valued member of the house, giving an earnest support to many worthy measures, and among those whose passage he secured and which have had far-reaching influence of a beneficial nature is the insurance law. In May 1894 he was appointed judge of the nine counties of this district and served until January, 1895. He is one of the charter members of the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks, of Council Bluffs, and his wife is a member of the Baptist Church.

The Judge is numbered among the native sons of this county, his birth having here occurred on the 8th of November, 1853. His father, Daniel J. Lewis, was a native of Kentucky, and married Harriet Holston, who was born in Virginia. Amid the wild scenes of frontier life in Mills county Judge Lewis was reared, and in the work of the farm he assisted, performing his share in the labors of field and meadow. He attended the district schools until seventeen years of age and then entered Tabor College, where he was a student for two years. Subsequently he matriculated in the law department of Iowa College. He was a member of the class of 1874 and immediately after his graduation he returned to his native county and began practice in Malvern, where he remained until 1890, when he came to Glenwood, the county seat. Here he enjoyed a distinctively representative clientage. About the time he began practice Judge Lewis was united in marriage to one of his schoolmates of early days, Miss Mary L. Witt, who was born in Colorado. The Judge has long been recognized as a leader in political circles and is a prominent Republican whose views carry weight in the councils of his party. From 1879 until 1881 he represented his district in the state legislature of Iowa and served as speaker pro tem. He was a valued member of the house, giving an earnest support to many worthy measures, and among those whose passage he secured and which have had far-reaching influence of a beneficial nature is the insurance law. In May 1894 he was appointed judge of the nine counties of this district and served until January, 1895. He is one of the charter members of the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks, of Council Bluffs, and his wife is a member of the Baptist Church.