Author: Lewis, William David
Biography:
LEWIS, William David (1792-1881: WBIS)
His parents were Quakers, Amy (Hughes) and Joel Lewis, living in Christiana DE. Lewis attended good schools and at the age of 17 was apprenticed to a Philadelphia firm, merchants in the East India and China trade. It was during his apprenticeship that he published his sole volume of original poetry. With the assistance of Henry Clay, he made his way to Russia in 1814 to join his brother as a merchant in St Petersburg, where he stayed for ten years, becoming proficient in the language and making friends in literary circles. Many years later, he published his translations of selections from Pushkin and others (The Bakehesarian Fountain, 1849). On returning to the US, he married Sarah Claypoole--there is no record of children--and settled in Philadelphia as a merchant and banker. He became President of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, President of the Catawissa Railroad Company, and Collector of Customs for the port of Philadelphia. He died on his estate near Florence NJ. (DAB; Appleton; ancestry.com 14 Nov. 2019) HJ
Other Names:
- W. D. Lewis
- [William David Lewis