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1921-22 Judd Mortimer Lewis Houston Post

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Judd Mortimer Lewis, 43rd president, was born in Fulton, N.Y., on Sept. 13, 1867.

At 14 he landed a job with the A.N. Kellogg Newspaper Company, which furnished stereotype plates, known as “patent insides,” to country newspapers. He woke up daily at 2:30 a.m. to catch a 3 a.m. car to take him to work where he stayed until 6 p.m., earning $12 per week.

In 1890, he was sent to the Chicago plant and until June 1893 he worked 10 hours a day and drew $16.75 per week.

In June 1893 the company established a branch office in Houston and he was shipped with machinery and other supplies to take charge of the stereotyping. It was not a very prosperous branch and he, in time, assumed all the additional duties.

In 1894 he married Mary Bartly. They had two children. Lewis began writing poetry on the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. His work attracted attention and he was soon offered a desk on the Houston Post. Except for a short time he remained on that newspaper.

He later worked in child welfare and found homes for 221 homeless children. He published several books of verse.

Lewis joined Texas Press Association in 1902.