John Lewis (Virginia colonist)

John Lewis (1 February 1678 - 1 February 1762) was a militia officer, magistrate and prominent Virginia landowner. Born in Ireland, he was forced to emigrate after killing his landlord. He settled in Virginia and, together with his nephew James Patton, became wealthy through land grants and sales during expansion of Virginia's westward frontier. His youngest son Andrew Lewis was a well-known general in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. His second oldest son Thomas Lewis was a politician who served in the Virginia House of Delegates. For many years, Lewis engaged in a heated rivalry with his nephew Patton over land grants, judicial power, and the construction of a parish meeting house. He died at his home in Staunton, Virginia at the age of 84.