Lewis Stevenson

Who was Lewis Stevenson?

Lewis Green Stevenson was the Illinois Secretary of State from 1914 to 1917 and a member of Illinois' political Stevenson family.

Stevenson's father, Adlai Ewing Stevenson I, was the Vice President of the United States from 1893 to 1897. Stevenson's son, Adlai Ewing Stevenson II, was the governor of Illinois, the Democratic candidate for President of the United States in 1952 and 1956 and later the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. His grandson, Adlai Ewing Stevenson III, is a former U.S. senator from Illinois. The actor McLean Stevenson was his first cousin twice removed.

Lewis Stevenson married Helen Louise Davis, daughter of Pantagraph publisher W. O. Davis and granddaughter of Jesse Fell. They had two children, Elizabeth "Buffy" and Adlai Ewing Stevenson II.

Lewis followed in his father's footsteps as a Democratic Party leader. He served as his father's private secretary while his father was Vice President of the United States from 1893 to 1897. Later, Lewis served as chairman of the Illinois State Board of Pardons, president of the Illinois Centennial Commission, and as Secretary of State under Governor Edward Dunne. He took an active part in the national conventions of the Democratic party and was frequently consulted on party policy.