Sam Lewis (trade unionist)
Encyclopedia
Samuel Phineas "Sam" Lewis (15 June 1901 – 16 August 1976) was an Australian schoolteacher and trade unionist.
Lewis was born in Sydney
to hairdresser Judah Henry Lewis and Rebecca Caroline, née Myers. After attending Cleveland Street Intermediate and Sydney Boys High
schools on a bursary
, he studied economics at the University of Sydney
and then at Teachers' College, beginning his teaching career at Bondi Public School in 1921. He also joined the New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation in 1921; posted to various state schools, he was sent to Narrabri
in 1925 and campaigned for Jack Lang
, attributing his subsequent posting at Atholwood near the border with Queensland
as a reaction to his political activities.
Lewis returned to university part time in 1929, teaching at Maroubra
, and was a founding member and secretary of the Educational Workers' League, which advocated the abolition of public examinations, weekly tests, homework and corporal punishment
. Sometime vice-president of the assistants' branch of the Teachers' Federation, he organised the Conference on Education for a Progressive Democratic Australia in 1938. A lapsed Jew, Lewis married fellow teacher Ethel Caroline Nelson Teerman on 20 December 1940 at Randwick
. In the early 1930s he had joined the Communist Party of Australia
, becoming secretary of the Coogee
branch, and, using the alias "Samuel Curtis", he was elected to the district committee in 1938. He contested the federal seat of Barton
for the State Labor Party
in 1940.
In 1943, Lewis was elected deputy president of the Teachers' Federation, rising to president in 1945. Lang, now a dissident member of the federal parliament, attacked Lewis as a well-known communist following his appointment as a delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation meeting in Mexico City
in 1947. He was defeated for the presidency in 1952, and he returned to teaching at Paddington
and Newtown
. In 1955 he received a reprimand after slapping a boy on the face, although fellow teachers rallied in support since Lewis had reportedly been provoked by a racist insult. In 1958 he was elected deputy president of the Teachers' Federation, and he reclaimed the presidency in 1964.
An activist president, Lewis strongly supported equal pay for women and the rights of teachers, achieving the right for complaints to be heard in the Industrial Commission of New South Wales rather than by the Public Service Board. A diabetic, he gave his last address as president in January 1968. In 1974 a stroke left him partially paralysed. Lewis died at Maroubra in 1976 and was cremated; he is remembered in the Sam Lewis peace awards, awarded by the Teachers' Federation since 1983. His daughter Jeannie Lewis
is a well-known musician and stage performer.
Lewis was born in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to hairdresser Judah Henry Lewis and Rebecca Caroline, née Myers. After attending Cleveland Street Intermediate and Sydney Boys High
Sydney Boys High School
Sydney Boys High School is an academically selective public secondary school for boys, located in the City of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, with 1,180 students, from years 7 to 12...
schools on a bursary
Bursary
A bursary is strictly an office for a bursar and his or her staff in a school or college.In modern English usage, the term has become synonymous with "bursary award", a monetary award made by an institution to an individual or a group to assist the development of their education.According to The...
, he studied economics at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
and then at Teachers' College, beginning his teaching career at Bondi Public School in 1921. He also joined the New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation in 1921; posted to various state schools, he was sent to Narrabri
Narrabri, New South Wales
Narrabri is a town and seat of Narrabri Shire Council Local Government Area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia. Narrabri is situated on the Namoi River and lies northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway...
in 1925 and campaigned for Jack Lang
Jack Lang (Australian politician)
John Thomas Lang , usually referred to as J.T. Lang during his career, and familiarly known as "Jack" and nicknamed "The Big Fella" was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales for two terms...
, attributing his subsequent posting at Atholwood near the border with Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
as a reaction to his political activities.
Lewis returned to university part time in 1929, teaching at Maroubra
Maroubra, New South Wales
Maroubra is a beachside suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Maroubra is located 10 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Randwick. Maroubra is the largest suburb in the area governed...
, and was a founding member and secretary of the Educational Workers' League, which advocated the abolition of public examinations, weekly tests, homework and corporal punishment
Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
. Sometime vice-president of the assistants' branch of the Teachers' Federation, he organised the Conference on Education for a Progressive Democratic Australia in 1938. A lapsed Jew, Lewis married fellow teacher Ethel Caroline Nelson Teerman on 20 December 1940 at Randwick
Randwick, New South Wales
Randwick is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Randwick...
. In the early 1930s he had joined the Communist Party of Australia
Communist Party of Australia
The Communist Party of Australia was founded in 1920 and dissolved in 1991; it was succeeded by the Socialist Party of Australia, which then renamed itself, becoming the current Communist Party of Australia. The CPA achieved its greatest political strength in the 1940s and faced an attempted...
, becoming secretary of the Coogee
Coogee, New South Wales
Coogee is a beachside suburb of local government area City of Randwick. It is located 8 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is also a part of the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney....
branch, and, using the alias "Samuel Curtis", he was elected to the district committee in 1938. He contested the federal seat of Barton
Division of Barton
The Division of Barton is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1922 and is named for Sir Edmund Barton, the first Prime Minister of Australia...
for the State Labor Party
State Labor Party
The State Labor Party , was an Australian political party which operated exclusively in the state of New South Wales in the early 1940s. The party was initially a far-left faction of the Australian Labor Party, strongly opposed to the right-wing faction of the party dominated by Jack Lang, former...
in 1940.
In 1943, Lewis was elected deputy president of the Teachers' Federation, rising to president in 1945. Lang, now a dissident member of the federal parliament, attacked Lewis as a well-known communist following his appointment as a delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation meeting in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
in 1947. He was defeated for the presidency in 1952, and he returned to teaching at Paddington
Paddington, New South Wales
Paddington is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Paddington is located 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and lies across the local government areas of the City of Sydney and the Municipality of Woollahra...
and Newtown
Newtown, New South Wales
Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Marrickville Council in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
. In 1955 he received a reprimand after slapping a boy on the face, although fellow teachers rallied in support since Lewis had reportedly been provoked by a racist insult. In 1958 he was elected deputy president of the Teachers' Federation, and he reclaimed the presidency in 1964.
An activist president, Lewis strongly supported equal pay for women and the rights of teachers, achieving the right for complaints to be heard in the Industrial Commission of New South Wales rather than by the Public Service Board. A diabetic, he gave his last address as president in January 1968. In 1974 a stroke left him partially paralysed. Lewis died at Maroubra in 1976 and was cremated; he is remembered in the Sam Lewis peace awards, awarded by the Teachers' Federation since 1983. His daughter Jeannie Lewis
Jeannie Lewis
Jeannie Lewis is an Australian musician and stage performer whose work covers many different styles such as folk, jazz, Latin, blues, opera, rock, fusion. Her music often includes a strong social consciousness and she is capable of making very strong political statements in her work.-Early...
is a well-known musician and stage performer.