Brigadier-General John Randolph Lewis (September 22, 1834 – February 8, 1900)[1][2] was an American dentist, soldier, administrator, and postmaster, known for his work with the Freedmen's Bureau.

He left home when he was 15[3] and moved to Buffalo, New York, where he studied dentistry with his uncle John Lewis;[1] there, in 1856, he married Frances Helen Mattice.

[1] On April 20, 1861, Lewis enlisted in the Union Army,[3] joining the 1st Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment as a private in Company H.[4] He fought in the Battle of Big Bethel[4][3] in June 1861.

[3] Lewis served on the VRC's examining board[4] until the war's end in June 1865,[1] "inspecting men in hospitals"[3] to ascertain whether they were injured too badly to return to duty.

[3] Historian Paul A. Cimbala notes that Lewis was more accepted by the people of Atlanta at this point, as he had "different priorities": namely, "business and boosterism, not blacks".