Francis Lewis

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Francis Lewis (March 21, 1713 – December 30, 1803), was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New York.

Born in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales, he was the only child of a clergyman, but was orphaned at an early age. He went to live with his aunt and uncle soon after. He was educated in Scotland and attended Westminster in England. He entered a mercantile house in London, then moved to New York in 1734. He was taken prisoner and shipped to France while serving as a British mercantile agent in 1756. On his return to America, he became active in politics, and was elected to the Continental Congress in 1775. His property on Long Island, New York was destroyed in the Revolutionary War.

His son Morgan Lewis served in the army during the Revolutionary War and later held many offices in New York State.

In John Trumbull's famous painting, Lewis is second from the viewer's left among the group of four seated figures in the background on the far side of the prominent table. The painting in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda is usually incorrectly identified as a depiction of the signing of the Declaration. What the painting actually depicts is the five-man drafting committee presenting its work to the Congress. Trumbull's painting can also be found on the back of the U.S. $2 bill.<ref>http://www.americanrevolution.org/deckey.html</ref>

In Queens, New York, a high school is named for Lewis. There is also Francis Lewis Boulevard, which locals tend to refer to as "Franny Lew," stretching almost the entire north/south length of the borough, as well as Francis Lewis Park, which is located underneath the Queens approach of the Bronx Whitestone Bridge.