Alexander Lewis (October 4, 1822 – April 18, 1908) was an American politician and businessman who was the mayor of Detroit from 1876 to 1877. He ran one of the largest flour and grain businesses in the city.
Contents
Early life
Alexander Lewis was born on October 4, 1822, in Windsor, Ontario (then called "Sandwich"), the son of Thomas and Jeanette Velaire Lewis. He came to Detroit on May 1, 1837, to work as a clerk at E. W. Cole & Co. He remained at E. W. Cole & Co. for two years, then spent two years at the druggists G. & J. G. Hill, and then moved to Pontiac, Michigan. Lewis returned to Detroit in 1843 to start a forwarding and commission service with his brother Samuel and Horace Gray. In 1845, Lewis started another forwarding and commission service with H. P. Bridge under the name of Bridge & Lewis.
Business and politics
Lewis remained with Bridge & Lewis until 1862, when he established a flour and grain business. This he built into one of the largest and most prosperous enterprises in the city. Lewis retired in 1884 to look after his various property interests and real estate. Lewis was also a director of the Detroit Fire & Marine Insurance Company, a director of the Detroit National Bank, president of Detroit Gas Light Company, and in 1862 president of the Detroit Board of Trade.