Tom Lewis

Who was Tom Lewis?

Thomas F. "Tom" Lewis was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida.

Lewis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After graduating from high school, he joined the U.S. Air Force, serving briefly in World War II. He was stationed in Florida during his service, and after his discharge in 1954, decided to live there permanently. Lewis earned a business degree from the University of Florida. He took a job at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft and became an important executive. In 1964, Lewis was elected to the first of two, four-year terms as mayor of North Palm Beach, Florida. He left the airline industry in 1972 to become involved in the booming real estate business. That same year, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, serving until a successful run for the Florida Senate in 1980.

In 1982, Lewis successfully ran for a seat in Congress. He served until his retirement in 1995, representing the 12th District from 1983 to 1993 and the 16th District from 1993 to 1995. He sat on the Committee on Agriculture for twelve years. Lewis died in 2003 of natural causes.