Lewis Thomas Christmas

Lewis Thomas Christmas (November 5, 1855 - June 27, 1928)

Biography

Lewis Thomas Christmas was born November 5, 1855 to Marcus George Christmas and Henrietta Davis in Warren County, North Carolina.

Elected to represent Warren County, Lewis became a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives in August 1878. He served the county with fellow African-American Republican Hawkins Wesley Carter.

In 1884, Lewis graduated from the Theological Department of Shaw University, the same department where he would later teach.

He served as principal of the Wilmington Training School.

A Baptist, Lewis was the pastor of the Central Baptist Church in Wilmington, North Carolina. He also served as State Missionary for the Negro State Baptist convention for many years.

He authored An Evil Router, a missionary pamphlet intended to "medicate moral derelicts".

Lewis Thomas Christmas died June 27, 1928, at home in Breezy Heights, a district in Raleigh, North Carolina, and was survived by his wife and daughter as well as seven siblings. His remains were interred at Mount Hope Cemetery in Raleigh.