Interview with Philip D. Lewis, 2007

A well known public servant, businessman, and political leader, Philip D. Lewis has lived in Palm Beach County since the early 1930s, when his family moved to Palm Beach from Chicago. After attending Georgetown University, he married Maryellen Howley of Lake Worth and joined his father’s real estate development firm. In 1958 he established Philip D. Lewis Real Estate, a commercial and industrial real estate company based in Riviera Beach. He and his wife became the parents of nine children, all educated, as were their parents, in local parochial schools. He was elected to the Florida Senate in 1970 and served as that body’s president 1979-1980. Since leaving elected office he has served the county and the state in a myriad of ways, often drafted for service by Florida governors for posts ranging from chairmanship of aging and water management studies to post-hurricane reviews and service on blue ribbon education panels. Throughout his adult life Lewis has been involved in civic and charitable activities, and he remains an active Catholic layman and advisor to leaders of The Diocese of Palm Beach and The Archdiocese of Miami.