Cory, Lewis Lincoln

Lewis Lincoln Cory, born in San Jose on May 4, 1861, is a highly accomplished attorney in Fresno, California, with a deep connection to the state’s pioneer history. He is the fourth of eight children born to Dr. Benjamin Cory, the first American physician to locate in the Santa Clara Valley, and Sarah Braly, the daughter of a prominent pioneer Presbyterian minister. After completing his early schooling in San Jose, Lewis pursued an extensive higher education by attending the University of the Pacific, Rutgers College, and Princeton University, where he graduated with a degree of A.B. in 1881. He then attended the Columbia Law School, earning his LL.B. degree in 1883, and was admitted to the bar in New York that same year.

After practicing law in New York for two years and in San Jose for one year, Lewis moved to Fresno in 1886 and established a highly successful general law practice. He built an extensive clientele and served as the attorney for several major corporations, including the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, the First National Bank, and the local street railway, water, and electric light companies. In addition to his legal career, he became a significant local property owner, acquiring the Cory Building and the Hippodrome Theater Building on one of the most valuable corners in Fresno. He married Caroline A. Martin in New York City, with whom he raised five children named Edith M., Catherine J., Margaret E., Martin, and Benjamin. A staunch Republican and a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity, he remains a highly respected figure within the Fresno County Bar Association and the broader community.