Lewis Ginter (April 4, 1824 – October 2, 1897) was a prominent businessman, financier, military officer, real estate developer, and philanthropist centered in Richmond, Virginia.

A native of New York City, Ginter accumulated a considerable fortune throughout his numerous business ventures and became one of Richmond's wealthiest citizens despite his exceptionally modest demeanor.

"[7] Ginter traveled throughout the United States and Europe in search of quality merchandise, and amassed a considerable fortune before the beginning of the American Civil War.

Preparing for unpredictable times, Ginter invested in large quantities of tobacco, sugar, and cotton that were stored in Richmond warehouses in order to protect his wealth.

[8] Although he was originally from the North, Ginter supported his adopted home in the Confederacy by buying Confederate bonds and waiving outstanding debts.

[9] As fate would have it, Major Ginter was in the Confederate capital on official business during the Evacuation and capture of Richmond and retreated to Amelia Court House, Virginia, to meet up with the remnants of his brigade.

Ginter's "Richmond Gem" cigarettes were first a hit in London where, with help from his agent, John Morgan Richards, they were marketed as a foreign novelty.

In September 2020, the University’s Board of Visitors voted to "de-commemorate" several buildings on campus named for members of the Confederacy including Ginter's home.

Beginning in 1888, Ginter and John Pope began assembling large tracts of land just north of Richmond in Henrico County, with the intention of developing an upscale streetcar suburb.

"[23] Ginter and Pope divided the large swaths of land into residential plots and provided many extravagant amenities, such as fresh artesian wells, tile sewer lines, roads covered with crushed stone, and the extension of the Richmond Union Passenger Railway, the nation's first large-scale electric streetcar system.

[25] Always eager to improve Richmond, Ginter hired famed architects Carrère and Hastings in 1892 to design a world-class hotel known as the Jefferson.

Ginter commissioned Edward V. Valentine to create a life-size sculpture of Thomas Jefferson from Carrara marble to be displayed as the centerpiece of the upper lobby.

Additional novelties included exotic palm trees from Central and South America, numerous antiques, Turkish and Russian baths, electric elevators, and for a brief period, alligators in the lobby fountain.

While working in New York City after the war, Ginter met John Pope, a messenger boy who delivered packages to his firm.

[31] While the intimate details of their relationship are unknown, Pope's obituary said he "lived quietly with Major Ginter, for whom he possessed the most ardent affection.

His funeral was regarded as one of the largest in Richmond's history, and about a year later his remains were placed in a private mausoleum in Hollywood Cemetery, overlooking the James River.

[33] Arents converted the Lakeside Wheel Club into a progressive farm known as Bloemendaal, which she later arranged to become Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.

[37] In 1897, the Richmond Dispatch praised Ginter as "one whose public spirit and broad charity have made his name familiar and honored throughout this city, which he loved so well, did so much to build up and beautify.