13 Facts About Francis Lewis

Francis Lewis was an American merchant and a Founding Father of the United States.

Francis Lewis was a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation as a representative of New York in the Continental Congress.

Francis Lewis was the only child of Morgan Lewis and Anne Lewis of Newport.

Francis Lewis entered a mercantile house in London until he turned 21 and inherited some properties left by his father.

Francis Lewis sold the properties and used the proceeds to acquire merchandise, set sail for New York City, arriving there in 1734 or 1735.

Francis Lewis left some of the goods in New York to be sold by Edward Annesley, his business partner, and brought the rest to Philadelphia.

Francis Lewis made several trans-Atlantic trips, visiting several northern European ports, Saint Petersburg, northern Scotland, and Africa.

Francis Lewis was taken prisoner while he served as a British mercantile agent in 1756 and sent to France for imprisonment.

Francis Lewis was a member of the Committee of Sixty, a member of the New York Provincial Congress, and a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1779.

In 1745, Francis Lewis married to Elizabeth Annesley, a sister of his business partner, Thomas Annesley.

In 1775, Francis Lewis acquired and relocated his family to an estate located in Whitestone, in present-day Queens.

Francis Lewis died on December 31,1802, although his memorial in Trinity Church Cemetery gives his year of death as 1803.

Francis Lewis Park is located under the Queens approach of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge.