William J. Lewis was born in Augusta County, Virginia, in 1766. He gained early political experience by being elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Fifteenth Congress, serving from 1817 to 1819. His life concluded at his "Mount Athos" plantation near Lynchburg, Virginia, where he passed away in 1828. The plantation, later recognized for its historical significance, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.