Inventory of the David John Lewis Papers, 1894-1949 and undated

Papers of David John Lewis (1869-1952), lawyer and U.S. representative from Maryland, 1910-1916 and 1930-1939; member of the U.S. Tariff Commission, 1916-1925; and member of the National Mediation Board, 1939-1943. Included are recommendations for Lewis' appointment to the tariff commission as the choice of free trade interests, 1916; and letters, 1917-1925, relating to the collection of data on costs of production and productive capability in the United States. A later series of tariff letters, 1929-1930, include some from William Thomas Rawleigh, spice and extract manufacturer and free trader; other letters concern the Hawley-Smoot tariff of 1929 and deal with proposed rates for many types of products. Papers relating to the tariff, 1910-1950, largely reflect the period when Lewis was special consultant to the Rawleigh Tariff Bureau, 1925-1930, including notes, reports, statistics, Congressional prints, voting records of Congressmen, and memoranda. They concern proposed rates for many types of goods and contain information about the productive capacity of American industry and the cost of production. Scattered throughout the collection are miscellaneous letters concerning politics and Lewis's political career. Letters from the 1940s concern international relations and the Senate's treaty powers. There are also letters, legal documents, and other papers relating to a lawsuit against the Cumberland, Maryland, water department, 1925-1948. Some World War II letters from Lewis' Welsh relatives describe the hardships of life in Great Britain. After 1943 there are letters relating to spiritualism, especially concerning the work of such organizations as the Society for Psychical Research in London, the American Society for Psychical Research, New York; and the Duke University Parapsychology Laboratory. Printed materials accompanying the collection include Congressional reports, hearings, speeches, newspaper clippings, press releases, publications of the Rawleigh Tariff Bureau, and election campaign material. Scrapbooks, 12 vols., contain letters from prominent individuals, clippings concerning Lewis' career and his unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1938.

• Lewis, John David.
• Tydings, Millard E. (Millard Evelyn), 1890-1961.
• Free trade.
• Legislators--Virginia--Correspondence.
• Maryland--Politics and government--1865-1950.
• Tariffs--United States--History.
• Rawleigh Tariff Bureau.

[Identification of item], David John Lewis Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University

The David John Lewis Papers were received as a gift by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library in 1954.

Processed by Rubenstein Library staff

Encoded by Ted Holt and Paula Jeannet Mangiafico, August 2008

Accession 48-2131 is described in this finding aid.

Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.