Montgomery in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
The Hon. Rufus A. Lewis
1906 - 1999
Photographed by Mark Hilton, May 15, 2021
1. The Hon. Rufus A. Lewis Marker
Inscription.
The Hon. Rufus A. Lewis. 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.
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.
Erected 2001 by H. Councill Trenholm State Technical College Archives, Alabama Historical Association.
Location. 32° 22.293′ N, 86° 17.831′ W. Marker is in Montgomery, Alabama, in Montgomery County. It is at the intersection of Rufus A. Lewis Lane and Dericote Street on Rufus A. Lewis Lane. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 301 Rufus A Lewis Ln, Montgomery AL 36104, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Alabama’s Tri-Counties River Region. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Black Belt. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance
Photographed by Dodson M. Curry, February 28, 2010
3. The Hon. Rufus A. Lewis Marker
Home of Rufus A. Lewis
Credits. This page was last revised on May 15, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 7, 2010, by Dodson M. Curry of Birmingham, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,942 times since then and 33 times this year. Last updated on July 29, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos:1. submitted on May 15, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 2, 3. submitted on March 7, 2010, by Dodson M. Curry of Birmingham, Alabama. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
