Tom Lewis (American politician)

Tom Lewis
Tom Lewis
Member of the ; U.S. House of Representatives ; from Florida
	In office; January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1995
Preceded by	Skip Bafalis (Redistricting)
Succeeded by	Mark Foley
Constituency	12th district (1983–1993); 16th district (1993–1995)
Member of the Florida Senate
	In office; 1980–1982
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
	In office; 1972–1980
Councilman/Mayor of North Palm Beach
	In office; 1964–1971
Personal details
Born	October 26, 1924; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	August 1, 2003 (aged 78); Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Marian V. Lewis
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army Air Forces; United States Air Force
Years of service	1943–1954
Rank	Master Sergeant
Battles/wars	World War II; Korean War

Thomas F. "Tom" Lewis (October 26, 1924 – August 1, 2003) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lewis attended the St. Edwards School and graduated from Central High School in 1942. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces as a gunner aboard a B-25 bomber, and continued service in the U.S. Air Force on the ground in the Korean War, being discharged at the rank of master sergeant in 1954.[1][2]

Lewis attended Palm Beach Junior College, and graduated from the University of Florida with a business degree in 1959. For 17 years, he was an executive with the aircraft company Pratt & Whitney, followed by work in real estate investment. He entered politics in 1964 when he was elected councilman and mayor of North Palm Beach. He was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1972, where he served four terms, and to the Florida Senate in 1980. In 1982, he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 12th district (later the 16th district after redistricting in 1990), defeating Apollo 15 astronaut Alfred Worden in the Republican primary.[3] He would be reelected five times before retiring in 1994.[1][2]

Lewis died of heart failure following surgery on August 1, 2003 in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. His wife, Marian, was also a Florida state legislator.[1]

References

Abbady, Tal (3 August 2003). "Obituary: TOM LEWIS, 1924 - 2003". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
"LEWIS, Thomas F. (1924-2003)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
"Worden, Koehler Defeated in House District 12". Boca Raton News. Associated Press. September 8, 1982 – via Google News.

External links

United States Congress. "Tom Lewis (id: L000295)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Appearances on C-SPAN

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by E. Clay Shaw Jr.	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 12th congressional district 1983–1993	Succeeded by Charles T. Canady
Preceded by Lawrence J. Smith	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 16th congressional district 1993–1995	Succeeded by Mark Foley

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[Sun-Sentinel-1] Abbady, Tal (3 August 2003). "Obituary: TOM LEWIS, 1924 - 2003". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 18 May 2020.

[bioguide-2] "LEWIS, Thomas F. (1924-2003)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

[3] "Worden, Koehler Defeated in House District 12". Boca Raton News. Associated Press. September 8, 1982 – via Google News.