In 1853 he emigrated to South Australia on the Iris, and soon found work with Hart & Co., then ran a store at Sydenham Road, Norwood.
He moved to Kapunda in 1857 to manage Carrington Smedley's drapery store at the corner of Main and Hill Streets, which he subsequently purchased.
Lewis was a foundation member of the Kapunda Congregational Church and superintendent of the Sunday school for many years, and president of the local branch of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
He was member for Light in the South Australian House of Assembly from May 1868 to April 1870 (succeeding Smedley by around ten years), with Captain John Hart as his colleague.
[2] In 1888 he was a candidate for the North Eastern district in the Legislative Council, but was soundly defeated by Henry Ayers.