The tenth son of George Washington’s sister, Betty, and Fielding Lewis, Robert Lewis was George Washington's nephew. Lewis served as his secretary between 1789 to 1791. Washington was especially involved in the lives of his sister’s children after the passing of his brother-in-law, who was an ardent supporter of the American Revolution.
Early Life
Robert Lewis was born on in Culpepper County, Virginia in 1769. Fielding Lewis’s financial support for the American Revolution damaged the family’s finances, and they struggled with money throughout their lives. Despite the family’s debts, when Fielding died in 1781, Robert inherited some property and people enslaved by his father. As a child, Howell Lewis received an education with his siblings at the Fredericksburg Academy.
As Washington’s Secretary
As Washington’s secretary, Lewis escorted his aunt, Martha Washington, and her grandchildren Eleanor Parke Custis and George Washington Parke Custis from Mount Vernon to the presidential residence in New York. He assisted Washington in tasks related to his ascent to the Presidency and in managing his personal affairs.1
However, Lewis was paid less than any of Washington's other secretaries, and was often referred to as his clerk. After leaving this role, Washington briefly replaced him with his younger brother, Howell Lewis. Robert and his brothers, Howell and Lawrence Lewis, continued to be employed by the Washington family in various roles. Howell was a manager at Mount Vernon from 1793 to 1794. Lawrence assisted with managing Mount Vernon from 1797 to 1799.
Continued Relationship with Washington
Robert Lewis married Judith Carter Browne in 1791. In 1792, George Washington placed Robert Lewis in charge of managing his land holdings in western Virginia, and appointed him to act as his land agent.2 Washington instructed Lewis in great detail about the expectations of tenants in maintaining the properties that they leased, “It is of essential consequence that you should examine accurately whether the covenants in the leases, with respect to the buildings to be erected—Orchards to be planted—meadows to be made—and woods to be preserved, have been complied with.”3
In 1793, Washington gave Lewis a plot of inherited land in Stafford County and provided a larger piece of inherited land in 1798 in Fauquier County.4 Later in life, Lewis was elected several times to the office of mayor in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Washington and Lewis continued to have as strong personal and financial relationships until Washington’s death in 1799. Lewis died in 1829.
Revised by Zoie Horecny, Ph.D., 9 May 2025
Notes:
1. “To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 18 March 1789,” Founders Online, National Archives.
2. “To George Washington from Robert Lewis, 26 October 1797,” Founders Online, National Archives.
3. “From George Washington to Robert Lewis, 15 October 1791,” Founders Online, National Archives.
4. “From George Washington to Robert Lewis, 11 February 1798,” Founders Online, National Archives.
Bibliography:
Duke, Jane Taylor. Kenmore and the Lewises. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1949.
Fraser, Flora. The Washingtons: George and Martha Partners in Friendship and Love. Anchor Books, 2015.
Sorley, Merrow Egerton. Lewis of Warner Hall: The History of a Family Including the Genealogy of Descendants in Both the Male and Female Lines, Biographical Sketches of its Members, and their Descent from other Early Virginia Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1935.
