Lewis, Isaac Newton

▪ United States Army officer and inventor

born Oct. 12, 1858, New Salem, Pa., U.S.

died Nov. 9, 1931, Hoboken, N.J.

      U.S. Army officer and inventor best known for the Lewis machine gun, widely used in World War I and later.

      Lewis graduated from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., in 1884. In 1891 he patented an artillery ranging device, the first of a succession of military inventions, including a ranging system for coastal artillery, an artillery fire-control system, a quick-firing field gun, and a gas-propelled torpedo. He also patented several devices with nonmilitary applications, including an electric car-lighting system. Lewis patented his machine gun in 1911, but it failed to win adoption by the U.S. Army. Retiring from active service in 1913 with the grade of colonel, Lewis went to Europe, where he found immediate interest in the weapon. He built a factory in Liège, Belg., and began manufacturing the gun. With the outbreak of World War I he moved his operation to England, where he merged it with the Birmingham Small Arms Company. Some 100,000 Lewis guns were used by the Allied armies; an adaptation of his gun was especially valuable on airplanes because of its minimal recoil. This advantage finally won it acceptance by the U.S. Army after new tests and considerable controversy.

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