| 1919 June 5 |
Born in Baker, Montana
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| 1936 |
Gradation from Whitehall High School in Wisconsin
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| 1936-1938 |
Operator of the family farm in Trempealeau County, while his father was an organizer for the Rural Electrification Administration
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| 1942 |
Graduation from the University of Wisconsin with a B.A. in Economics; editor of the Daily Cardinal during his senior year
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| 1942 July-1945 November |
Service in the U.S. Army, entering as a private, with a promotion to 1st lieutenant; also awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster.
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| 1946 January-October |
Field representative, Wisconsin Farmers Union
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| 1946-1951 November |
Editor of Wisconsin REA News and director of public relations
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| 1948 |
State director, Christian Rural Overseas Program in Madison
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| 1951 November-1957 September |
Editor of National Farmers Union's weekly Washington Newsletter
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| 1956 September-October |
Adviser and speech writer for Democratic vice-presidential candidate Estes Kefauver
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| 1957 September-1959 |
Chief policy adviser and administrative assistant for Senator William Proxmire during the Wisconsin election campaign and in Washington D.C.
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| 1959 March-1960 |
Agricultural coordinator for Governor Gaylord Nelson
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| 1960 |
Director of the Farmers for the Kennedy-Johnson presidential campaign organization
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| 1961-1965 |
Deputy administrator for price and production of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) of the Department of Agriculture with responsibility for commodity price supports. In 1962 ASCS was reorganized, and Lewis became deputy administrator for Commodity Services
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| 1965 March |
Administrator for the newly-formed Rural Community Development Service (RCDS) of the Department of Agriculture; responsible for rural economic development and planning
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| 1966 November |
Resignation from RCDS after its budget is slashed by Congress; special assistant to Secretary Orville Freeman, specializing in agricultural trade
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| 1967 July |
Special assignment with the Agency for International Development to review famine relief operations and agricultural development in India
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| 1968 |
Economic consultant, 1968; publishes Food for Work proposal
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| 1969 |
Washington, D.C., representative of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association
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| 1971 |
Founder and first general manager of the Farmers Union Milk Marketing Cooperative in Madison
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| 1972 |
Election to position of national secretary and chief economist to the National Farmers Union (NFU) in Washington, D.C. Specialties include international policy, especially Food for Peace, the international wheat agreement, and trade talks
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| 1980 |
Chooses not to seek reelection to NFU office and resumes career as consultant and freelance writer on agricultural topics
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