Lewis, William C. 1854-1920

LEWIS, SLOAN, BACHTELL, LIMBACK, BEAMER

Posted By: Clayton co. coordinator
Date: 7/16/2008 at 00:36:06

W. C. LEWIS; 1854-1920

William Cowper Lewis was born in Cane County, Illinois, in 1854, and died in West Union, Iowa, May 1, 1920, at the age of sixty-five years, eleven months and six days. He was a son of William and Agnes (Sloan) Lewis, natives of Scotland, who immigrated to America in 1847, and located at Elgin, Illinois.

In 1857 Mr. Lewis came with his parents to Iowa, and has since continuously resided in this State. He was raised on a farm in Highland Township, Clayton County, Iowa. In early manhood he taught district school for a few years. Later he took up the study of law and graduated from the Law Department of the State University of Iowa in 1878.

He began the practice of his profession in Elkader, Clayton County, Iowa, where for some time he was associated with Realto E. Price.
After a brief period in the office of Mr. Price he opened an office of his own. After a year or two he abandoned the practice of law and studied medicine at Keokuk, Iowa, and upon his admission to the practice of medicine he opened an office in a small town in Allamakee County, where he continued to practice for some ten or eleven years.

He had never abandoned his affection for the law and returned to it in the early nineties, opening an office at Guttenberg, in Clayton County. Here he at once met with success and became a trial lawyer of recognized skill and ability.

In 1903 he removed to West Union, where he at once sprang into prominence as a trial lawyer and continued in the practice of the profession until some time in 1919, when ill health caused him to retire.

Mr. Lewis was married in 1876 to Effie J. Bachtell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Bachtell, of Clayton County, who survives him. One daughter was born to them, Cora Lily, now Mrs. F. J. Limback, of West Union. One grand-daughter, Ruth Limback, now Mrs. L. C. Beamer, of West Union, and one great-grand-daughter, Jean Ruth Beamer, also survive him. Mr. Lewis was born of a large family of which there are six brothers and two sisters still surviving. Mr. Lewis's death is the first break in the circle of his immediate family.

The District Court, which was in session, adjourned out of respect for his memory, and that the Judge and members of the Bar might attend his funeral. Several members of the Clayton County Bar were in attendance. Funeral services were conducted by the Reverend Wm. Mitchell, of Wadena, Iowa, and were held under the auspices of the Masonic Lodge, which proceeded in a body to the cemetery.

Mr. Lewis was a man of upright character, honest, kind, dealing justly and considerately with all. His life was clean. He was a regular attendant upon and a member of the Presbyterian Church. He was also a member of the Masonic Knight-Templar, B. B. Y., M.W.A., 0. E. S., Homesteaders, and R.N.A. Lodges.

~Proceedings of the Twenty-Seventh Annual Session of the Iowa State Bar Association; published by the association, 1921; Report of Committee on Legal Biography, (memorials) pg 62-63

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