Francis Lewis
Born	(1713-03-21)March 21, 1713 Llandaff,Wales
Died	December 31, 1802(1802-12-31) (aged 89) New York City, U.S.
Resting place	Trinity Church Cemetery, New York City
Education	Westminster School
Occupation(s)	Merchant, politician
Known for	Signer of theUnited States Declaration of Independence
Spouse	Elizabeth Annesley ​ ​ (m. 1745; died 1778)​
Children	7, incl.Morgan
Signature

Francis Lewis (March 21, 1713 – December 31, 1802) was an American merchant and aFounding Father of the United States.^[1] He was a signatory of theUnited States Declaration of Independence andArticles of Confederation as a representative ofNew York in theContinental Congress.

Lewis was born inLlandaff,Wales, on March 21, 1713. He was the son of Morgan Lewis and Anne Lewis (née Pettingale) ofNewport.^[2][3] Lewis was educated atWestminster School in London.^[2]

Lewis entered a mercantile house in London until he turned 21 and inherited some properties left by his father. Lewis sold the properties and used the proceeds to acquire merchandise, set sail for New York City, arriving there in 1734 or 1735. He left some of the goods in New York to be sold by Edward Annesley, his business partner, and brought the rest toPhiladelphia.^[4] After two years in Philadelphia, he returned to New York.^[5]

Lewis made several trans-Atlantic trips, visiting several northern European ports,Saint Petersburg, northern Scotland, and Africa. He was taken prisoner while he served as a British mercantile agent in 1756 and sent to France for imprisonment. On his release and his return home, he became active in politics.^[5]

Lewis was a member of theCommittee of Sixty, a member of theNew York Provincial Congress, and a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1779. In 1776 he signed the United States Declaration of Independence, and in 1778 he signed the United States Articles of Confederation. In 1779, he served as thechairman of the Continental Board of Admiralty.^[5]

He helped his son Francis Lewis Jr. open a dry goods business named Francis Lewis and Son. His son Morgan served in theContinental Army during theRevolutionary War and later held many offices in New York State, including governor.^[5]

In 1745, Lewis married to Elizabeth Annesley (died 1779), a sister of his business partner, Thomas Annesley.^[6] Together, they were the parents of seven children, three of whom survived to adulthood:^[7]

• Ann Lewis (1748–1802), who married Captain George Robertson (1742–1791) of theRoyal Navy.^[8]
• Francis Lewis Jr. (1749–1814), who served as churchwarden of St George's Parish inFlushing, New York, from 1791 to 1794. He married Elizabeth Ludlow (d. 1831),^[9] daughter of Gabriel Ludlow, Esq.^[4]
• Morgan Lewis (1754–1844), who marriedGertrude Livingston, the daughter of JudgeRobert Livingston ofClermont.^[10] He was a governor and attorney general of New York.

In 1775, Lewis acquired and relocated his family to an estate located inWhitestone, in present-dayQueens. The home was later destroyed after theBattle of Long Island by British forces, who also arrested his wife Elizabeth. She was eventually released in aprisoner exchange for the wives of two wealthy Loyalists fromPhiladelphia, though the hardships Elizabeth endured in captivity ruined her health and led to her death in 1779.^[11][12]

Through his eldest surviving daughter Ann, he was a grandfather to Marianne Robertson (1779–1829), who marriedJohn Bird Sumner, theArchbishop of Canterbury and brother ofCharles Richard Sumner, bishop ofWinchester.^[13] Through his son Morgan, he was a grandfather ofMargret Lewis (1780–1860), who married New York lawyer and politicianMaturin Livingston and became parents to twelve children.^[10] Through his son Francis Jr., he was a grandfather of Gabriel Ludlow Lewis.^[14]

Lewis died on December 31, 1802, although his memorial inTrinity Church Cemetery gives his year of death as 1803.

InQueens, New York,Francis Lewis High School and P.S. 79 "The Francis Lewis School" are named after Lewis.Francis Lewis Boulevard, which locals sometimes refer to as "Franny Lew" or "Franny Lewie," stretches almost the entire north/south length of the borough. Francis Lewis Park is located under the Queens approach of theBronx-Whitestone Bridge. A society of theChildren of the American Revolution located in Queens, NY, is named for him.^[15] A masonic lodge, Francis Lewis #273, is located in Whitestone.^[16]

• Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence

Wikimedia Commons has media related toFounding Fathers of the United States.

• United States Congress."Francis Lewis (id: L000282)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• "Francis Lewis". The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence.

• 1713 births
• 1802 deaths
• People from Llandaff
• Continental Congressmen from New York (state)
• Members of the New York Provincial Congress
• Signatories of the Articles of Confederation
• Signatories of the United States Declaration of Independence
• People educated at Westminster School, London
• Merchants from the Province of New York
• 18th-century American merchants
• British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies
• Welsh politicians
• Burials at Trinity Church Cemetery
• People from Whitestone, Queens
• 19th-century American Episcopalians
• Founding Fathers of the United States

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