Violet T. Lewis
American businesswoman and educator (1897-1968)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Violet T. Lewis (May 27, 1897 – March 23, 1968) was an American businesswoman and educator who founded the Lewis College of Business in 1928, the only historically black college in Michigan.[1]
May 27, 1897
Violet T. Lewis | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | Violet Temple Harrison May 27, 1897 Lima, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 23, 1968 (aged 70) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Wilberforce University |
| Occupations | Educator, businesswoman |
| Known for | Founding Lewis College of Business and Gamma Phi Delta |
| Spouse |
Thomas Garfield Lewis
(m. 1920; div. 1943) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Lewis was born Violet Temple Harrison on May 27, 1897, in Lima, Ohio.[2] She was the second of the six children of William and Eva Harrison.[2] She graduated from Lima High School in 1915.[3] She attended Wilberforce University from 1915 to 1917.[2]
Career
Lewis' first job was as secretary to the president of Selma University in Alabama. She also taught secretarial classes in its business department. She later moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where she worked as a bookkeeper.
After noticing a large number of young unemployed people, Lewis took a $50 loan and opened the Lewis Business College in 1928 in Indianapolis.[4][5] Lewis started her own radio program, "The Negro Melody Hour", with a hope of boosting enrollment to the college. The program made her the first black radio announcer in Indiana.[2]
Lewis owned multiple small businesses in Indianapolis, including an ice cream shop and a store selling Christmas trees and fireworks.[6] She started an additional school in Detroit, Michigan in 1939, which opened the following February.[7] Lewis eventually closed the Indiana college once the college's success in Detroit became apparent.[1]
She later founded the Gamma Phi Delta sorority.[5]
Honors and awards
Lewis received a posthumous honorary doctorate from Wilberforce University. In 1992, she was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.[2] In 2021, a portion of the M-10 highway in Detroit was named the Violet T. Lewis Memorial Highway.[8]