David Lewis

David Lewis

David Lewis was a Tasmanian merchant, Mayor of Hobart Town, Member of the House of Assembly, active community member, and expert rifleman. He was Chairman of the short-lived and unsuccessful Southern Tasmanian Quartz Crushing and Mining Company.

History

A bank cheque made out to David Lewis and Neil Lewis

Selected source transcripts

Obituary.—We have to record, with very sincere regret, the death of the Honourable David Lewis, late of Collins street, Hobart, warehouseman and merchant, a member of the Executive Council, and an ex-Treasurer of the colony, which took place early on Saturday morning, after a lengthy illness. For years one of our most prominent public men and politicians, Mr. Lewis has of late passed from the arena of active strife, a severe attack of paralysis having totally incapacitated him from work of all kinds. Mr. Lewis was born in Hobart on the 3rd May, 1821, and was, consequently, at the time of his decease nearly 65 years of age. He was the eldest son of Mr. Richard Lewis, the founder and first head of the firm of which the deceased subsequently became a member. He was educated at Thompson's and Mummery's schools, and commenced his business career in Melbourne, in 1838, as confidential clerk to Messrs. Rucker and Co., of that city. In 1840 he went to England in the barque Alfred, and in 1843, after a varied experience in several large business houses in London and Paris, with a view to gaining knowledge which would be useful to him in commercial life here, he returned to Tasmania, and was taken into partnership with his father and brothers, in the firm of Richard Lewis and Sons, which is still existing in our midst. Mr. Lewis was an enthusiastic supporter of volunteering since its inception in the colony, making it his principal recreation, and in 1862 he was the champion rifle shot of the colony, and winner of the all-comers' gold medal. He was a member of the first artillery corps, and subsequently held a commission in the Second City Rifles. More recently, when the Southern Tasmanian Volunteer Artillery Corps was enrolled, he was appointed to the post of major and paymaster. He was always a great favourite with the men, and a liberal supporter of bands and other military accessories. He was elected alderman of the city in 1858, and on the retirement of Mr. Osmond H. Gillies from the Mayoral chair in July of that year, Mr. Lewis was elected lo the vacancy, and he filled the chair till the end of 1859, being re-elected in the interval. In 1859 he was placed on the roll of the Commission of the Peace for the colony. He represented the district of Clarence in the House of Assembly for years, and subsequently sat for Central Hobart until the general election of 1882, when he retired, From the 20th December, 1878, to the 20th October, 1879, he occupied the position of Treasurer in the Crowther Ministry, retiring when the Coalition Ministry took its place. He delivered financial statements on the 23rd April and 10th September, 1870, having each time to deal with a falling revenue and deficiency in the public account. His proposals, however, to moot this by taxation in the shape of income and property tax combined, did not meet the approval of Parliament. As a shrewd man of business, Mr. Lewis had no superior, and was for many years a director of the Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company, the Hobart Gas Company, and the Australian Mutual Provident Society. He was married in 1815, at St. George's Church, to Miss McKellar, a daughter of Lieutenant McKellar, R.N., but of his family only two survive him, a son and daughter, besides several grandchildren. He passed quietly away at the last, in the presence of his brother, Mr. Thomas Lewis, and several other friends–a man who has done the State good service in his time, and whose genial private character will long keep his memory green in the minds of those who know him best. The funeral will leave his late residence, in Collins-street, to-morrow morning, at 9 o'clock, and the body will be buried in the family vault at Cornelian Bay Cemetery.

LEWIS, David
Warehouseman, merchant. B. 3 May 1821 Hob.; s. Richard, auctioneer, merchant, and Isabella, nee MacKellar; m. 22 Nov 1845 Hob., Lillias Sophia MacKellar; 4s. 5d.; uncle N.E. Lewis MHA. D. 23 Jan 1886 New Norfolk. C. of E.
Ed Thompson's, Mummery's Schs Hob.; confidential clerk Rucker & Co. Melb. 1838; to Europe 1840, worked business houses Lond., Paris; ret. Tas. 1843, partnership with father and brother as Richard Lewis & Sons, warehousemen and merchants, Hob. Dir Tas. Steam Navigation Co., Hob. Gas Co., Tas. dir AMP; chmn Hob. Chamber Commerce. Hob. City Cncl, mayor 1858-59, Hob. Bd Wks, Hob. City Cemetery Trust, Sorell Causeway Trust; JP 1858, ctee inquiry Public Wks Dept off. 1864-65, roy. corns main line rlwy 1867-68, charitable institutions 1871, Lands and Wks Dept 1876-77; Tas. Commissioner Paris Exhibition 1867. Ctee Hob. Benevolent Soc.; Tas. Volunteer Arty (paymaster Maj.); Tas. rifle champion.
MHA Clarence Feb 1864-May 1877, Central Hobart June 1877-May 1882; cont. Cambridge Oct 1859. Colonial Treas. Dec 1878-Oct 1879.

External links

http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/history/tasparl/lewisd85.htm

https://www.hobartcity.com.au/Council/Aldermen/Former-Aldermen-and-Commissioners

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/8866604

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/lewis-richard-2356

---

--Neil Huybregts 11:10, 10 December 2017 (AEDT)