The Hon. Rufus A. Lewis 1906 - 1999 - Montgomery, AL
Posted by: Markerman62
N 32° 22.295 W 086° 17.830
16S E 566117 N 3581841
Located at 301 Rufus A Lewis Lane, Montgomery
Waymark Code: WM16H7B
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 08/02/2022
Views: 1
Lewis began an earnest voting rights drive in the early 1940s. Credited with registering 4 generations of Montgomery voters. He established Citizenship Schools that tutored prospective black voters to fill out the literacy text, a barrier before the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Lewis opened, in 1952 the "Citizens' Club,” a night club for African Americans who were registered voters and who helped others to become voters. Lewis was a graduate of Fisk University and served as football coach at Alabama State University. In 1958, he became a partner in the Ross-Clayton Funeral Home business. He was one of the founders and first Montgomery Chapter president of the Alabama Democratic Conference, the oldest continuing black political organization in the state. Lewis was elected to the Alabama state legislature in 1974, but resigned in 1976 when U.S. President Jimmy Carter appointed him to serve as a U.S. Marshal, the first black marshal for the Middle District in Alabama.
Marker Name: The Hon. Rufus A. Lewis 1906 - 1999
Marker Type: Urban
Addtional Information:: Erected by H. Councill Trenholm State Technical College Archives, Alabama Historical Association
Date Dedicated / Placed: 2001
Marker Number: Not listed
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