Lewis Steward was born on November 20, 1824, near Hollisterville in Wayne County, Pennsylvania.

[1] In 1853, Steward was able to convince surveyors from the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to build a station near his homestead.

C. W. and W. W. Marsh approached Steward in 1862, offering an investment opportunity in their harvesting machine operation.

Also that year, Steward purchased a boot and shoe factory, producing goods from a tannery that he had started in 1864.

In 1890, he was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives, serving one two-year term with the 52nd Congress.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress