Delano Lewis | |
---|---|
U.S. Ambassador to South Africa | |
In office 1999–2001 |
|
President | Bill Clinton |
Preceded by | James A. Joseph |
Succeeded by | Cameron Hume |
Personal details | |
Born |
Arkansas City, Kansas, U.S. |
November 12, 1938
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater |
University of Kansas Washburn University |
Religion | Catholic (formerly Baptist) |
Delano Eugene Lewis (born November 12, 1938) is an American attorney, businessman and diplomat. He was the United States Ambassador to South Africa from 1999 to 2001, and previously held leadership roles at the Peace Corps and National Public Radio. He is the father of actor Phill Lewis.
Lewis was born in Arkansas City, Kansas, into a family of "ardent Democrats". He was named for Franklin Delano Roosevelt (although his name is pronounced "Del-AYE-no".) He is the only child of a Raymond Ernest Lewis, a porter for the Santa Fe Railroad, and Enna L. Lewis (née Wordlow), a homemaker.
Lewis attended Sumner High School, in Kansas City, Kansas, graduating in 1956. He attended Boys State in his junior and senior years of high school.
Lewis graduated from the University of Kansas, in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1960, where he was a classmate of Wilt Chamberlain. He earned a law degree from the Washburn University School of Law, in Topeka, Kansas, in 1963. He worked full-time at the Menninger Clinic while attending law school.