William H. Lewis
American football player
1868 – 1949
Who was William H. Lewis?
William Henry Lewis was an African-American pioneer in athletics, politics and law. He was the first African-American college football player, the first in the sport to be selected as an All-American, the first to be appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney, the first to become a member of the American Bar Association, and the first to serve as United States Assistant Attorney General. When he was appointed Assistant Attorney General in 1910, it was reported to be "the highest office in an executive branch of the government ever held by a member of that race." Before being appointed as the Assistant Attorney General, Lewis also served for 12 years as a football coach at Harvard University and was a noted expert and author of works on the game.
We need you!
Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!
- Born
- Nov 28, 1868
Berkley - Also known as
- William Lewis
- Education
- Virginia State University
- Amherst College
- Harvard Law School
- Died
- Jan 1, 1949
Boston
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"William H. Lewis." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/william_h_lewis>.
Discuss this William H. Lewis biography with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In