Lewis Washington
Lewis Washington | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 30, 1812 |
| Died | October 1, 1871 (aged 58) |
| Parent(s) | George Corbin Washington Elizabeth Beall |
| Relatives | George Washington (great-granduncle) William Augustine Washington (grandfather) Augustine Washington (great-grandfather) |
Lewis William Washington (November 30, 1812 – October 1, 1871) was a great-grandnephew of President George Washington. He is most remembered today for his involuntary participation in John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859. He was taken as hostage and some of his slaves were briefly freed. (See Black participation in John Brown's Raid.) As he outranked the other hostages, he was their unofficial spokesperson and testified in both Brown's subsequent trial and before the Senate committee investigating the raid.
Lewis Washington was the son of George Corbin Washington, the grandson of William Augustine Washington, and a great-grandson of Augustine Washington, half-brother of George Washington. Lewis Washington inherited Beall-Air, near Harper's Ferry, Virginia (since 1863, West Virginia), through his mother, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Beall (from which the estate's name. He made his home at Beall-Air from 1840 until his death in 1871. The mansion survives and is currently used for wedding receptions and the like.