An oral history interview with Robert G. Lewis

              WISCONSIN
HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
An Oral History Interview with
ROBERT G. LEWIS
Interviewer: .Anita Hecht, Life History Services
Recording Date: November 18, 2010
Place: Madison, Wisconsin. Length: 2.25 hours
Robert G. Lewis was raised in Baker, Montana. In 1936, he entered the University of Wisconsin,
where he earned his B.A. in economics. During World War Two, he served in the U.S. Army's
Medical Department and then volunteered for combat service as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry.
Lewis returned to Wisconsin after the war, became active in politics, and soon joined the
fledgling Democratic Party, where he came to know William Proxmire. In 1946, Lewis worked
for the Wisconsin Farmers Union and as editor of the Wisconsin REA News. He traveled to
Washington, DC, in 1951, to work for the National Farmer Union's Washington Newsletter.
When Proxmire went to the Senate in 1957, he asked Lewis to serve as his administrative
assistant. When Sen. John Kennedy was nominated for the Presidency in 1960, Lewis accepted
his invitation to head the National Farmers for Kennedy-Johnson campaign.
During Lewis' brief time in Sen. Proxmire's office, he worked on many issues, including reviving
the food stamp program which used farming surpluses to feed hungry people. He also wrote
speeches and press releases, drafted legislation, and worked with the Agriculture Committee.
In 1959, Lewis left Washington for Wisconsin, where he went to work as the agricultural
coordinator on Gov. Gaylord Nelson's staff.