William H. Lewis
William Henry Lewis (1868–1949) was an African-American pioneer in sports, law, and public life. Born to former slaves in Virginia, he moved with his family to Portsmouth and valued education. He left Virginia for Amherst College in Massachusetts, helped by John Mercer Langston, and paid his way by working as a waiter. At Amherst, Lewis became one of the first African-American college football players and was voted captain for his senior year. He graduated in 1891 and continued his studies at Harvard Law School, where he also played football and earned All-America honors—making him the first African American named to the College Football All-America Team.
After law school, Lewis coached football at Harvard from 1895 to 1906, finishing with a strong record and earning a reputation as a top football expert. He wrote A Primer of College Football (1896) and was praised for his deep knowledge of the game.
Lewis entered politics in Cambridge, serving on the Common Council (1899–1902) and in the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1901–1903). He was the last African American to serve in the Massachusetts legislature until 1946.
In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Lewis as an Assistant United States Attorney in Boston, the first African American to hold that job. In 1911, President William Howard Taft appointed him as one of five United States Assistant Attorneys General, a high-ranking role in the federal government. Lewis was part of Taft’s notable group of African-American officials, sometimes called his "Black Cabinet."
Lewis joined the American Bar Association (ABA) in 1911, but faced a push to expel him in 1912 because of his race. He refused to resign, and the ABA eventually"overruled" the attempt and reinstated him, though it required future Black applicants to identify their race. His term as Assistant Attorney General ended in 1913 when Taft left office.
Back in Massachusetts, Lewis practiced law and became a respected trial lawyer who argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. He stayed active in Republican politics and handled cases involving bootlegging and racial discrimination. He helped push for Massachusetts laws banning discrimination in public places after a barber refused to shave him.
Lewis spoke openly about race and urged Black lawyers to work together to protect their communities. He supported anti-lynching efforts and, in 1919, signed a call for a National Conference on Lynching. He also gave speeches advocating equal rights and the value of democracy for all Americans.
He married Elizabeth B. Baker, and they lived in Cambridge, raising three children. Lewis died in Boston on January 1, 1949, at age 80 and was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:00 (CET).