Born in Deptford, England, John Sayer Lewes was an accountant, manager, and first-class
financial clerk in the
Colonial Office starting in
1868. He remained in England throughout his extensive career in colonial affairs first
as a clerk in the
British Admiralty and then as a clerk in the Colonial
Land and Emigration Commission. In
1840, Lewes was a clerk in the Emigration Commission and eventually moved on to be a commissioner
in
1857. Alongside other commissioners, he
[investigated] conditions in British colonies and [presented] immigration recommendations
in published reports to the British public. As the head clerk of the financial department in the
Colonial Office, Lewes largely focused on assessing monetary affairs such as the
Hudson Bay Company's accounts. Additionally, he also examined and oversaw government officials' allowances to government loans to the colony of
British Columbia. Lewes' career in the
Colonial Office extended to
1881. On
30 April 1890 Lewes passed away from unknown causes. He is buried alongside his wife Susannah, and their children in Dulwich,
London, England.