author
James Lewis
1863–1939
A sharp, colorful figure in American public life, he wrote with a politician’s eye for power, persuasion, and the rise and fall of republics. His best-known book compares ancient Rome with the United States, turning history into a warning as well as a story.
1 Audiobook
The Two Great Republics: Rome and the United States
by James Lewis
About the author
Born in 1863, James Hamilton Lewis was an American lawyer, politician, and author who became known nationally as J. Hamilton Lewis. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Washington and later in the U.S. Senate for Illinois, where he was recognized as the first person to hold the title of Senate Whip.
As a writer, he is best remembered for The Two Great Republics: Rome and the United States, a work that sets the Roman Republic beside the American one and looks at how political systems gain strength, drift into danger, and sometimes fall apart. The book reflects the interests of someone deeply involved in public life, combining history with arguments about government and civic character.
He died in 1939. For listeners coming to his work today, the appeal is the blend of historical storytelling and political insight: he was not just studying republics from a distance, but thinking about them as a practicing statesman.