William David Lewis (1792-1881) was a 19th-century banker, merchant, and railroad executive based in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1][2]
In 1832, Lewis hired future locomotive titan
Matthias Baldwin to assemble a locomotive kit for the
New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad; Baldwin completed the engine, named Delaware, later in the year. This experience allows Baldwin to build Old Ironsides, his first locomotive from scratch, later in the year.[3]
^"William David Lewis papers". NYPL Homepage THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY ARCHIVES & MANUSCRIPTS _ About E Contact D Digitized. Retrieved 3 February 2019.