William Turnor Lewis (March 10, 1840 – December 30, 1915) was an American businessman and Republican politician.

[1] He studied telegraphy under his older brother, James F. Lewis, who was manager of the Racine office of the Western Union Telegraph Company.

After James quit in 1861 to focus on studying law, William became manager of the Western Union office.

Their partnership would continue for the rest of both men's lives, first as the Mitchell & Lewis Co. Their business flourished in part due to the high demand for new farm equipment as soldiers returned from the Civil War.

[2] With his son, William, he also built and managed the Racine Rubber Company, which mostly manufactured wheels for automobiles.

First, he was interested in abolishing the use of convict labor, believing it placed free workers at a competitive disadvantage.

William's elder brother, James F. Lewis, went on to become the first chief justice of the Supreme Court of Nevada.

[2] Lewis died at his home at 1000 Main Street in Racine, on the morning of December 30, 1915, after an illness of several weeks.

Nash continued to operate the plant until 1939, when they merged with the Kelvinator appliance company and created Nash-Kelvinator.