Rachelle

Lewis T. Booker

Lewis Terrence Booker was an African-American journalist who funded the Prism Press.

Early life- Lewis was born on Oct 3rd 1907 in rural Georgia. Having been raised by a poor family, he worked a job as early as 11 years old at a gift store to help make ends meet. When he was 17 his family moved to New York City to start a new life. 

News- At age 29 a man named Andrew S. Williams hired Lewis for a writing job. In 1936, he wrote his first newspaper column about the Great Depression which was so successful Andrew helped him create the Prism Press in 1943. The first issue was released in August 1943

Family- At age 36 Lewis met an African-American woman named Mary Johnson (who was 32). They got married in May 1944. In 1946, their son, Lewis Jr. was born (he's 80 today) and in 1947 they had a daughter named Rosalie. 

Family downfall- When things began going downhill for the family was June 18th 1960 when Rosalie got a disease and was told she had less than 2 months left to live. She ided the morning of August 12th 1960 at the age of 13 (in her sleep). This sent Lewis into a deep depression. On Sept. 4th 1984 Mary suddenly died of a heart attack at age 72, which worsened Lewis’ depression so he turned to excessive smoking. 

Death+ Legacy- The morning of March 1st 1989 Lewis was taken to the hospital and on March 6th 1989 Lewis passed away from cancer. The Prism Press continues to be the #1 best selling newspaper in America and as of 2026 it’s been translated into 32 languages. 

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