Mathew McFarlan Lewey (December 1848 – August 12, 1935), was an American newspaper editor and publisher, postmaster, lawyer, politician, and justice of the peace in Florida.[1] He also served as an officer in the Union Army, and as a militia officer.[2] Lewey, who was from Baltimore, Maryland, was the first licensed Black male lawyer in Florida.[3][4][5][6] He was a member of the National Negro Business League. He also used the name M.M. Lewey.[7]
Mathew McFarlan Lewey M.M. Lewey | |
|---|---|
_in_Era_of_Promise_(1915).jpg) | |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from Alachua County, Florida | |
| In office 1883–1883 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 1848 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | August 12, 1935 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida, U.S. |
| Education | Lincoln University, Howard University School of Law |
| Occupation | Newspaper editor, newspaper publisher, military personnel, postmaster, lawyer, politician, justice of the peace |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch/service | Union Army |
| Unit | 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
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Early life and education
editLewey was born in Baltimore, Maryland in December 1848.[3] His parents were Eliza (née McFarlin) and John W. Lewey.[7] He had limited education up until age 15, and at age 16 he was sent to New York to live with his aunt Emeline Carter and his grandfather Rev. William McFarlin.[7] After his move he attended the African Free School No. 2 (or Mulberry Street School) on Mulberry Street in New York City.[7]
He left school early to join the Union Army. During the American Civil War he served in the 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.[3][8]
Lewey studied at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania; and at Howard University's Law School.
Career
editIn 1876, he moved to Newnansville, Florida (near Gainesville).[9] Lewey served as the postmaster and mayor (1875–1877) of Newnansville, Florida.[3][10] During that same time from 1875 to 1876, Lewey was justice of the peace for Alachua County.[3] He represented Alachua County in the Florida House of Representatives in 1883.[3][8] He served as a Gainesville councilman from 1886 to 1890, and 1891.[3]
In c. 1885, Lewey and Josiah T. Walls published The Farmers' Journal.[11] In 1887, Lewey established the Gainesville Sentinel (one of Florida's first Black newspapers) which became the Florida Sentinel newspaper in Pensacola when he relocated there in 1894.[11] He served as its editor and publisher.[12]
In 1905, he started a Pensacola street car boycott, due to segregation.[9] In 1919, Lewey was a founding member of the Associated Negro Press.[9]
Death and legacy
editHe died at age 88 on August 12, 1935, in Jacksonville, Florida.[3] He is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Gainesville.
The New York Public Library has a photo of him.[13] A profile of him is included in the books The Afro-American Press and Its Editors (1891).
References
edit- ^ "A forgotten obituary: The legacy of Sgt. Matthew M. Lewey". A forgotten obituary: The legacy of Sgt. Matthew M. Lewey - The Independent Florida Alligator.
- ^ "Captain Matthew M. Lewey's Company Muster Roll, Alachua County, April 1882". Florida Memory. Institute of Museum and Library Services.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Brown, Canter (September 23, 1998). Florida's Black Public Officials, 1867-1924. University of Alabama Press. pp. 104, 147, 149–150. ISBN 9780817309152 – via Google Books.
- ^ Thomas, Voleer. "Gainesville Sun's coverage of race relations from reconstruction to Jim Crow era scrutinized". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
- ^ Dogan, Reginald T (29 June 2006). "Historic home of Florida's first black lawyer/editor goes up in smoke". Pensacola News Journal. p. C.1. ProQuest 435996700.
- ^ Neyland, Leedell W. (1970). Twelve Black Floridians. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Foundation. OCLC 669377162.[page needed]
- ^ a b c d Penn, Irvine Garland (1891). "Hon. M.M. Lewey, Editor Florida Sentinel". The Afro-American Press and Its Editors. Willey & Company. pp. 170–173. ISBN 978-0-598-58268-3.
- ^ a b Payne, Charles M.; Green, Adam (August 2003). Time Longer Than Rope: A Century of African American Activism, 1850-1950. NYU Press. p. 204. ISBN 978-0-8147-6703-0.
- ^ a b c Ahern, Shannon (July 28, 2020). "M. M. Lewey timeline". The Independent Florida Alligator. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ "Book Notes". Florida Historical Quarterly. 50 (2): 204–210. 1971.
- ^ a b McCarthy, Kevin M. (2019-07-24). African American Sites in Florida. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-56164-951-8.
- ^ "The Florida Sentinel Annual, 1904, Pensacola, Fla. | uwf.digital.flvc.org". uwf.digital.flvc.org.
- ^ "African American Newspaper Editors in Early 20th Century Florida – The US Caribbean & Ethnic Florida Digital Newspaper Project". 22 February 2018.
External links
edit
- Matthew M. Lewey at Find a Grave, has image of grave