Lew Wallace

Lew Wallace (Lewis Wallace), 1827-1905, American novelist and diplomat, b. Brookville, Ind. He served in both the Mexican and Civil wars. After returning to his law practice in Indiana, he became governor of the Territory of New Mexico (1878-81) and minister to Turkey (1881-85). His famous book, Ben-Hur (1880), has been one of the best-selling novels in American publishing history and was made into several motion pictures. Among his other novels are The Fair God (1873), a story of the conquest of Mexico, and The Prince of India (1893).

Bibliography: See his autobiography (1906).

Wallace, Lew[is] (1827–1905), Indiana author, whose career included military service in the Mexican War and the Civil War, in which he rose to the rank of major general and redeemed a failure at Shiloh by defending Washington from capture by a Confederate force under Jubal Early. After a residence in Mexico, where he interested himself in the attempt of Juárez to gain power, he returned to his native state to practice law and complete his novel The Fair God (1873), a story of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The success of this romance caused him to write Ben‐Hur (1880), a romantic depiction of the late Roman empire and the rise of Christianity, which is said to have sold 2,000,000 copies, besides being translated into many foreign languages. He followed this with a narrative, The Boyhood of Christ (1888). After having served as territorial governor of New Mexico (1878–81), he became minister to Turkey (1881–85), and his interest in that country inspired him to write The Prince of India (1893), a turgid novel based on the story of the Wandering Jew. His other works include The Wooing of Malkatoon (1898), a long poem which incorporates his earlier tragedy, Commodus (1877); and Lew Wallace: An Autobiography (1906), completed by his wife Susan Arnold Wallace (1830–1907), an author in her own right.