Thomas C. Lewis

Thomas Lewis (May 8, 1749 – September 9, 1809) was an American Revolutionary War veteran who figured prominently in the early development of Lexington, Kentucky and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He administered the oath of office to Kentucky's first governor, Isaac Shelby, in 1792. Born in Fairfax, Virginia, Lewis served with the Eleventh Virginia during the Revolutionary War and retired with the rank of colonel in February 1781. Lewis had also served in the Virginia House of Burgesses and was on the Committee of Safety of the Colonies. After moving to Kentucky, Lewis served as a delegate to the convention in Danville that adopted the first Constitution of Kentucky in 1792. He also represented Fayette County in the first Kentucky State Senate. According to historian and author Benjamin F. Van Meter, Lewis was "possessed of considerable means when he came to Kentucky, consisting of money, slaves and livestock. He made extensive investments in lands, and soon became one of the influential and wealthy men of this region of the country. He was a very intelligent, enterprising old-fashioned Kentucky gentleman, who kept his well-trained body-servant close at hand wherever he went; was noted, like most of the gentlemen of this region and of Virginia in that day, for hospitality and high living."