Delano Lewis

Delano Lewis
Born	(1938-11-12) 12 November 1938 Arkansas City, Kansas, U.S.
Died	2 August 2023(2023-08-02) (aged 84) Las Cruces, New Mexico, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Lawyer, entrepreneur, diplomat
Known for	United States ambassador to South Africa (2000–2001), CEO of National Public Radio

Delano Eugene Lewis (; November 12, 1938 – August 2, 2023) was an American lawyer, entrepreneur, and diplomat. He held the position of United States ambassador to South Africa between 2000 and 2001 and occupied executive roles at both the Peace Corps and National Public Radio. He was also the father of actor Phill Lewis.

Early life and education

Lewis was born in Arkansas City, Kansas into a family with strong Democratic affiliations. His name, inspired by Franklin Delano Roosevelt (pronounced "Del-AYE-no"), reflected this heritage. He was the sole child of Raymond Ernest Lewis, who worked as a porter for the Santa Fe Railroad, and Enna L. Lewis, a homemaker.

He completed his secondary education at Sumner High School in Kansas City, Kansas, graduating in 1956. During his junior and senior years, he participated in Boys State. Lewis earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas in 1960, where he was a classmate of Wilt Chamberlain. He then pursued a law degree at Washburn University School of Law, graduating in 1963 while simultaneously employed full-time at the Menninger Clinic.

Career

Following law school, Lewis began his career as an attorney with the U.S. Justice Department and subsequently worked within the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Office of Compliance. Between 1966 and 1969, he served as associate director and country director for the Peace Corps in Nigeria and Uganda.

Lewis acted as a legislative assistant to Senator Edward Brooke and Delegate Walter E. Fauntroy. In 1978, he led Marion Barry’s mayoral transition team and later chaired the finance committee for Barry’s 1982 re-election campaign.

In 1973, Lewis joined The Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company as public affairs manager, ultimately rising to CEO by 1990. He served as president of the Greater Washington Board of Trade in 1988 and began leading the City National Bank of Washington that same year until its closure in 1993.

In 1993, Lewis took on the role of president and CEO at National Public Radio (NPR). While at NPR, he also spent three years on Apple Computer’s board before stepping down in 1997 due to time constraints. He departed NPR in 1998.

His corporate governance experience extended to board memberships at Black Entertainment Television, Colgate-Palmolive, Halliburton, and Eastman Kodak.

Appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1999, Lewis became U.S. ambassador to South Africa, officially presenting his credentials in January 2000. Later in life, he relocated to Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he founded the consultancy firm Lewis & Associates. In 2006, he was appointed senior fellow at New Mexico State University and became the inaugural director of its International Relations Institute in 2007.

Politics

Lewis was instrumental in advancing home rule for Washington, D.C., playing a significant part in securing passage of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act by the U.S. Congress in 1973. He chaired VOICE’s (Voice of Informed Community Expression) home rule committee—a group established following the Washington riots of 1968. Although he ran once for a seat on the Council of the District of Columbia, losing to Barry, Lewis was viewed as a leading contender for Mayor of the District of Columbia and a major influencer in local politics. However, he chose not to pursue elected office again, publicly stating upon leaving NPR that he would not seek any political positions.

Personal life and death

During his time at the University of Kansas, Lewis was deeply involved with the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, eventually serving as its president. Among his civic accolades, he was honored as a "Washingtonian of the Year" in 1978 by The Washingtonian magazine and was awarded the President's Medal from Catholic University in the same year. In 2009, he earned the title of Kansan of the Year.

Lewis married Gayle Carolyn Jones in 1960, and together they raised four sons, one of whom is actor Phill Lewis. Originally brought up in the Baptist faith, he embraced Catholicism following his marriage. Lewis died on August 2, 2023, at the age of 84 while receiving hospice care in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

See also

• List of Washburn University alumni
• List of University of Kansas people