Researching Arthur Lewis

In 1929, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for Corio. He publicly supported the prohibition of alcohol, stating that he "regretted that it was not possible for the whole Labor Party to support prohibition". He was defeated in 1931.

After leaving federal politics, Lewis worked as a clerk with the Queensland Prohibition League. He made unsuccessful attempts at Labor preselection for the 1934 federal election, 1937 Victorian state election and 1940 federal election. Lewis died in 1975.

Lewis was educated at the University of Saskatchewan and Presbyterian College in Saskatoon. In 1908, he married Eva M. Thomlinson. He was elected to Parliament at the Swift Current riding in the 1921 general election. After completing one term in the House of Commons, Lewis was defeated in the 1925 federal election by Charles Edward Bothwell of the Liberals. Lewis was again unsuccessful at the riding during the 1926 federal election campaign. He made one more attempt to return to Parliament, this time as a Social Credit party candidate in the 1935 election at the Melfort riding but was again unsuccessful.

Lewis was born in Maseru in what is now Lesotho (previously part of the British colony of Basutoland). He is one of only a handful of first-class cricketers to be born in that country.

In 1931, Lewis joined Berkshire, where he represented them in the Minor Counties Championship. Lewis made his debut for the club against Cornwall and would go on to represent the county in 35 Minor Counties matches. His final Minor Counties match came in the 1937 season against Oxfordshire. After the 1937 season Lewis retired from representative cricket.

Lewis died in Heavitree, Devon on 23 August 1980.

Lewis was born in Aberystwyth, the second of four children of David John, a picture framer and photographer, and Mary Lewis. He served an apprenticeship at Williams and Metcalfe's Rheidol Foundry afterwards going to sea as an engineer.

The subjects of Lewis's postcards were local events and scenery. Initially he concentrated on surrounding villages and hamlets, outings and local events rather than the standard views favoured by larger publishing houses. Many of the events such as the quarterly life-boat practice or garden parties would soon be forgotten by those who witnessed them. An exception to this was the visit of a travelling menagerie who chose to advertise their presence by marching their elephants through the town for a swim in the sea. Arthur Lewis photographed the event and the card proved hugely popular. Reprints still sell well at the local museum to this day.

After the death of his father in 1921, Arthur Lewis took over the running of the family drygoods store, known as The Mart, with his two sisters, Eunice and Maggie. He subsequently became known locally in Welsh as Lewis Y Mart (Lewis the Mart). His elder brother kept the picture-framing element of the business on the other side of the street.

Arthur Lewis was a keen local historian, active member of Tabernacle Chapel, superintendent of Trefechan Sunday School and keen sea fisherman. In March 1933 the premises were sold to the Aberystwyth & District Co-operative Society and the family business moved to a smaller shop in nearby North Parade.

During the Second World War, Arthur Lewis served as Chief Coastguard and devoted little time to photography. He died in 1952 whilst on holiday in Liverpool.Subsequently, more than two thousand of his glass negatives were donated to the National Library of Wales.