Lewis Dent

Lewis T. Dent (also known as Louis Dent, March 3, 1823 – March 22, 1874) was an American explorer, judge, and politician. He was the brother-in-law of Ulysses S. Grant.

Dent was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1823, the son of Frederick Dent and Ellen Wrenshall. He was one of four older brothers of Julia Dent Grant, the future First Lady.[1] Dent was considered to be well-educated, having attended the best schools in St. Louis and studying law.[2] In 1846, Dent served as a civilian clerk to paymaster Major James H. Cloud who accompanied the Mormon Battalion to California during the Mexican-American War. Lewis and his brother John's names were found etched at Signature Rock in Oklahoma.[3]

Dent later married a daughter of Judge Baine.[4] Dent served as a judge on the Superior Court of California until he resigned in 1849.[5] He was a delegate at the first Constitutional Convention of California in 1849.[4] After the shooting death of William Knight on November 9, 1849, John and Lewis Dent took over the operation of Knight's Ferry.[6] The post office for Knight's Ferry was opened on July 28, 1851, and Lewis Dent became its first postmaster.[7] Alongside his brother, Dent ran the ferry and hotel and was named justice of the peace. In 1858, he moved to Stockton, California, and practiced law.[8]

In 1862, Dent joined the military staff of his brother-in-law, General Grant.[8] Between 1863 and 1867, he was engaged in extensive cotton-growing in Mississippi and Louisiana.[2] Dent was captured by the Confederates towards the end of the Civil War and spent about a month in custody.[9] After Grant was elected president in 1868, Dent took up residence at the White House.[10]

Dent ran for Governor of Mississippi in the state's 1869 election, and was nominated as the gubernatorial candidate for the National Union Republican Party ticket.[4] He was supported by conservatives in both parties, and the Democratic party opted not to field a candidate but to support Dent.[11] However, Grant did not support his brother-in-law, as he opposed his white supremacist views.[10] Dent was defeated in his gubernatorial ambitions by the wealthy planter James L. Alcorn.[12] After losing the election, Grant named him minister to Chile.[8] At the end of his life, Dent became a Roman Catholic. He died in Washington, D.C., in March 1874.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "First Lady Biography: Julia Grant". National First Ladies Library. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Lossing, Benson, ed. (1874). "Obituary: Louis Dent". The American Historical Record. 3. Chase & Town: 287.
  3. ^ Henson, Kevin (2009). "Trek Completion Report". The Valiant. 13 (1): 6. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Garner, James Wilford (1901). Reconstruction in Mississippi. Macmillan Company. p. 239.
  5. ^ History of Sonoma County [Cal.]: Including Its Geology, Topography, Mountains, Valleys and Streams; with a Full and Particular Record of the Spanish Grants; Its Early History and Settlement. Alley, Bowen & Company. 1880. p. 134.
  6. ^ Kyle, Douglas (2002). Historic Spots in California (5th ed.). Stanford University Press. ISBN 0804778175.
  7. ^ Brotherton, I. N. (1982). Annals of Stanislaus County: River towns and ferries. Western Tanager Press. p. 95. ISBN 0934136297.
  8. ^ a b c Tinkham, George Henry (1921). History of Stanislaus County California: With Biographical Sketches of the Leading Men and Women of the County who Have Been Identified with Its Growth and Development from the Early Days to the Present. Historic Record Company. p. 73.
  9. ^ Barnickel, Linda (2013). Milliken's Bend: A Civil War Battle in History and Memory. LSU Press. ISBN 978-0807149942.
  10. ^ a b Bowers, Claude (2011). The Tragic Era - The Revolution After Lincoln. Read Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1446546888.
  11. ^ Garner 1901, p. 240
  12. ^ Abbott, Richard (2004). For Free Press and Equal Rights: Republican Newspapers in the Reconstruction South. University of Georgia Press. p. 138. ISBN 0820325279.
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