John H. Lewis – Successful Merchant Tailor & Importer in the 1800s

Once upon a time in Black Entrepreneur History lived an African American man named John H. Lewis who became a prominent merchant tailor and importer in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Massachusetts.

John H. Lewis was born in Enfield, North Carolina, according to census reports in Heathsville, North Carolina) in the year of 1846. Not much is known about his youth, but when the Civil War ended, he left North Carolina and resettled in Concord, New Hampshire with a regiment returning to the area.

John H. Lewis Becomes a Merchant Tailor

Not long after the short stay in Concord, he relocated to a popular spot for African Americans at the time – Boston, Massachusetts. This is where John H. Lewis learned the trade of tailoring and how to succeed at the tailoring business. He founded his own tailoring and import business called J. H. Lewis Merchant Tailor, and the business was located on 417 Washington Street which is located in the famous Beacon Hill area. Today, Washington Street is still a heavy retail space.

John H. Lewis became one of the most successful tailors in Boston, servicing many of the most prominent men in and around the city. He was also known for his desire to see Black people succeed in every area of life, and being the kind man that he was, he generously gave not only his money but his time to Tuskegee University in Alabama and the NAACP.

John H. Lewis Family & His Death

John H. Lewis was also a family man, married to a woman named Harriet S. Peak. The couple had two children, a girl (Mary P. Lewis) and a boy (John H. Lewis Jr.). Mr. Lewis came upon his death on December 21, 1918 in Boston at his home, 114 Claremont Park at 73 years old. He was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery. He’d retired a couple years before his death.

Sources:

• Boston Evening Transcript, Monday, February 27, 1888
• The Boston Globe 22 Dec 1918, Sun · Page 15