Brief Biography of Judge Lewis
Thomas Charles Lewis, III (30 July 1838 – 12 Jan 1900) played a central role in both Union
Parish politics as well as its newspaper business for over thirty years. Lewis
worked as a Farmerville teacher, store owner, attorney, and newspaper
editor/publisher/owner. He was the son of Rev. Thomas C. Lewis, II (3 Mar 1809 – 28 Dec 1853) and the grandson of Ouachita Parish Judge
Thomas C. Lewis (c1780 – 17 Oct 1819).
The elder Judge Lewis settled in northeastern Louisiana
between 1805 and 1814 and was politically influential in Monroe.
Rev. Lewis worked as a Methodist minister and lived in Claiborne Parish
in the
1830s when Lewis III was born, but the family settled in Farmerville in
1849.
Later in life the younger Lewis described quite fondly his early
memories of
growing up in the piney hills of north Louisiana.
Lewis
presumably studied law in the latter
1850s, and in the fall of 1859 the Union Parish citizens elected him as
the Clerk of the District Court. He served as Clerk of Court between
1859 and 1861, when he resigned to join the Confederate army. After a
medical discharge in 1862, he returned to Farmerville and resumed his
duties as the Clerk of Court, serving through about 1867. In February
1866, Lewis helped to found the "Union Record" , the Reconstruction
newspaper of Union Parish. The records do not indicate whether Lewis
owned and operated the paper from the beginning, but evidence indicates
he contributed to its publication in some capacity in the latter 1860s.
By 1870 he owned, operated, and edited the paper, although he also
operated his own private law practice in Farmerville.
In 1872, the Union Parish citizens elected Lewis as their
parish judge. He served his
full term, 1872 through 1876, a period marked by severe political
strife throughout the South and especially in Louisiana. Many felt that
his election was unfairly connected to the rigged election of the
Louisiana Republican governor, and the overtones from this election
haunted Lewis for the rest of his life. Union Parish politics
became extremely nasty throughout Union Parish, with Lewis becoming the
leader of one body of political thought, and his nemisis District Court
Judge James E. Trimble becoming the leader of the other.
After their respective terms of office ended in 1876, Trimble returned
to private law practice, and presumably so did Lewis. However, Lewis
still had his "Union Record" to voice his political ideals. To compete
with him, in 1878 Trimble founded his own paper, the Farmerville
"Gazette". Although a Yankee by birth and a political novelty until
1868 (when he cast the only Union Parish Republican vote for President
Grant), Trimble attracted a large following during the later
Reconstruction period through his firm convictions and standing up to
Judge Lewis and his group. The personal anomosity between Lewis and
Trimble reached the point in 1878 and 1879 that both men swore vengence
upon the other, armed themselves, and threatened to shoot each other on
sight. After threats were made to Lewis' family, he ceased publication
of the "Union Record" and moved south to St. Landry Parish.
By 1884, Lewis believed the danger to his family had passed, and he
returned to Farmerville and purchased new printing equipment. In
February 1885, he founded his next paper, the "Home Advocate" to
compete with Trimble's "Gazette". Through their editorials, Lewis and
Trimble resumed their former rivalry, which became heated by mid-1885.
This situation continued through 1887, when Lewis' friend and fellow
lawyer James A. Ramsey gave proof to Trimble that his negative
editorials concerning Louisiana governor Nichols were inaccurate. When
Trimble refused to publish a retraction, Ramsey publically criticized
Trimble at a political rally. When Trimble casticized Ramsey in his
next editorial, Lewis printed a note signed by many Farmerville
citizens attesting to Ramsey's high moral character. This incensed
Trimble, who armed himself and threatened to kill Ramsey if he came to
town.
On 19
December 1887, Ramsey and Trimble had a chance encounter in front of
Stein's store in Farmervile about 5:15 pm. After a hot
exchange of words
that drew a large crowd of men in front of the store, the two lawyers
drew their pistols, five or six shots were fired, and both fell dead. A
coroner’s
investigation revealed that Ramsey died from a bullet fired by
Trimble’s gun,
but Ramsey’s gun had not been fired. According to tradition passed down
in the Ramsey family, Ramsey’s nephew George McFarland was in the crowd of men
gathered in Stein’s store watching the altercation between Ramsey and
Trimble. After Trimble pulled his gun and shot Ramsey, McFarland, an excellent
marksman, shot Trimble.
Trimble's "Home Advocate" did not survive many years longer. Perhaps
influenced by Ramsey's death, Lewis moved to Ruston in 1890 and helped
his son with the publication of the Ruston "Leader" until about 1894,
when he returned south to St. Landry Parish, settling near the town of
Church Point. Lewis died there in 1900.
The Beginning of Judge Lewis' Career
The record shown below is Lewis' oath of office as Union Parish Clerk of
the District Court. This record marks the official beginning of Lewis'
career of public service to Union Parish.
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Thomas C. Lewis
State of Louisiana Parish of Union
Oath Clk
12th Dist
Court
I Thomas C. Lewis do solemnly swear that I
will faithfully & impartially discharge & perform all and
singular the duties incumbent on me as clerk of the Twelfth Judicial
District Court in & for the Parish of Union La according to the
best of my abilities and understanding agreeable to the Constitution
& Laws of the United States & of this State, & do further
solemnly swear that since the adoption of the present Constitution of
being a citizen of this State have not fought a duel with deadly
weapons within this State or out of it with a citizen of this State nor
have I sent or accepted a challenge to fight a duel with deadly weapons
with a citizen of this state or aided or advised any person thus
offending so help me god.
Thos. C. Lewis
Sworn to and subscribed before me this
27th day of Dec AD 1859,
H. W. Ramsey, J.P.
A true Record Jan 7, 1860. Wm. C. Smith,
Recorder
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