Cary B. Lewis
{{Short description|African American sportswriter (1888–1946)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Cary Blackburn Lewis Sr.
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1888|07|15}}
| birth_place = Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1946|12|08|1888|07|15}}
| death_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| burial_place = Lincoln Cemetery
| occupation = Sportswriter, newspaper editor, publicist
| known_for = Sportswriting on Negro league baseball
| spouse = Georgia "Bertha" A. Lattimore (m. c. 1925–1946; death)
}}
Cary Blackburn Lewis Sr. (1888–1946) was an American sportswriter, newspaper editor, and publicist.{{Cite web |title=Lewis, Cary Blackburn, Sr. · |url=https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/2989 |website=Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (NKAA) |publisher=University of Kentucky Libraries}} He was instrumental in the formation of the Negro National Baseball League (NNL) in the 1920s. Lewis worked at The Chicago Defender, the Courier-Journal, and the Indianapolis Freeman newspapers.
Biography
Cary Blackburn Lewis Sr. was born on July 15, 1888, in Louisville, Kentucky, US."Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1871-1998," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2M8-745F : 18 March 2018), Cary B Lewis, 08 Dec 1946; citing Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States, source reference, record number, Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm. His draft card used an earlier birth date of July 15, 1880 or 1881. He was the son of Plummer Lewis of Louisville, Kentucky, a veteran of the American Civil War who served with the 28th U.S. Colored Infantry.{{Cite book |last=Bois |first=William Edward Burghardt Du |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y4ETAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA86 |title=The Crisis |date=1917 |publisher=Crisis Publishing Company |volume=15-18 |pages=86 |language=en |chapter=Personal}}
Lewis served as managing editor of The Chicago Defender, an African American newspaper, from 1910 to 1920.{{Cite book |last=Lester |first=Larry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6r6ownl3ywQC |title=Baseball's First Colored World Series: The 1924 Meeting of the Hilldale Giants and Kansas City Monarchs |date=2011-03-28 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-8736-3 |pages=18 |language=en}} During his career he also worked as a reporter for the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky; and the Indianapolis Freeman. Lewis often wrote about Black baseball games and teams, including the Leland Giants. He also wrote about the Black community.{{Cite news |date=September 22, 1908 |title=To Be Discussed at Coletown |pages=7 |work=Lexington Herald-Leader |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/682845727/ |issn=0745-4260 |via=Newspapers.com}}
Lewis was contributory in the formation of the Negro National Baseball League (NNL), he was one of four people to create the NLL constitution.{{Cite book |last=Heaphy |first=Leslie A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5RIzBwAAQBAJ&pg=PP62 |title=The Negro Leagues, 1869-1960 |date=2015-03-13 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-0305-6 |pages=62 |language=en}} The others to form the NLL constitution included David Wyatt from the Indianapolis Ledger, Elwood C. Knox from Indianapolis Freeman, and attorney Elisha Scott. He also served as publicity director for Booker T. Washington in later life.
He died on December 8, 1946, in Chicago;{{Cite news |date=December 10, 1946 |title=Obituary 4 -- Cary B. Lewis |pages=31 |work=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1946/12/10/84644521.html?pageNumber=31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130021106/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1946/12/10/84644521.html?pageNumber=31 |archive-date=2023-11-30 |issn=0362-4331}} and is buried at Lincoln Cemetery in Chicago.
Personal life
Around 1925, Lewis married Georgia "Bertha" A. Lattimore. She was the daughter of Beauregard Moseley and was a teacher.{{Cite book |last=Heaphy |first=Leslie A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jH043iKJlF8C&dq=Cary+B.+Lewis+chicago&pg=PA145 |title=Black Baseball and Chicago: Essays on the Players, Teams and Games of the Negro Leagues' Most Important City |date=2006-07-05 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-2674-4 |pages=145, 231 |language=en}} They lived at 4510 Vincennes Avenue in Chicago and were featured in the society pages.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=June 17, 2021 |title=Georgia A. (Lattimore) Lewis |url=https://friendsofeasterncemetery.com/georgia-a-lattimore-lewis/ |website=Friends of Eastern Cemetery}} Together they had two sons. His son Cary B. Lewis Jr. served in the military, became a professor in business administration, and was a Certified Public Accountant.{{Cite web |date=2021 |title=Cary B. Lewis, Jr., CPA |url=https://www.kycpa.org/news/journal/Cover32021Ky1stBlackCPAs |website=The Kentucky CPA Journal, Issue 3}}{{Cite web |date=March 21, 1991 |title=Cary B. Lewis |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-03-21-9101250752-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126131116/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-03-21-9101250752-story.html |archive-date=November 26, 2023 |website=Chicago Tribune |issn=2165-171X}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis Sr., Cary Blackburn}}
Category:American newspaper editors
Category:Writers from Louisville, Kentucky
Category:Sportswriters from Illinois
Category:Sportswriters from Kentucky