[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 172 (Thursday, December 5, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1805]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING MR. PETER BENJAMIN LEWIS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 5, 2013

  Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
honor a great American and dear friend; a pioneering businessman, and 
dedicated philanthropist; a devoted father and loving husband, Peter 
Benjamin Lewis.
  Peter Lewis was born during the Great Depression in Cleveland, Ohio, 
on November 11, 1933. The son of Joseph Lewis and the former Helen 
Rosenfeld, Peter was the oldest of four children. He graduated in 1955 
from Princeton University where he met his future wife, Toby Devan. 
They married soon after he graduated and raised three extraordinary 
children: Jonathan, Ivy and Adam.
  By age 12, Peter Lewis was working at his father's small insurance 
business. It would become his life's passion. Through decades of hard 
work--risking, learning, growing--Peter turned his father's 100-
employee firm into one of the nation's largest auto insurance 
companies, the Progressive Corporation. Under Peter's visionary 
leadership, Progressive became one of the greatest companies in 
American history, today employing more than 28,000 people.
  As a legendary philanthropist to numerous organizations, and as a 
generous benefactor of great architecture and the arts, Mr. Lewis 
leaves behind a notable mark in so many different communities across 
the country. He has generously donated more than $220 million to 
Princeton University, where he served as a trustee. He also held 
honorary degrees from Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland 
Institute of Art.
  Mr. Lewis is survived by his wife, Janet Rosel Lewis, of Cleveland, 
Ohio; his brother and sister-in-law, Daniel and Jan Lewis and son 
Jonathan D. Lewis, of Coconut Grove, Florida; his daughter, Ivy Lewis, 
of Princeton, New Jersey; his son and daughter-in-law, Adam and Melony 
Lewis, of Aspen, Colorado; his friend and former wife, Toby Devan 
Lewis, of Cleveland, Ohio; and five grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me and Mr. Lewis' family in remembering and 
celebrating the remarkable life, lasting achievements, and indelible 
spirit of Peter B. Lewis.

                          ____________________