LEWIS, PETER B.

LEWIS, PETER B. (1933– ), U.S. businessman and philanthropist. Lewis grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and graduated from Princeton University in 1955. Upon graduation he began work at Progressive, the insurance firm owned by his father, Joseph Lewis, who had died that year, and partner Jack Green. The company then had 40 employees. At the age of 31, Lewis bought out his father's partner and became chief executive officer of the company. Under his leadership Progressive became the third largest insurance company in the United States. Since resigning as ceo in 2000 (he remained chairman of the board of trustees), Lewis was best known for his philanthropy in education, the arts, and politics, occasionally disagreeing publicly with the very institutions he supports. He and architect Frank *Gehry worked together on several of Lewis' philanthropic efforts, including buildings at both Case Western Reserve University and Princeton University. Lewis was a major donor to the Guggenheim Museum and, as of 2005, was the largest single contributor to the American Civil Liberties Union. He supported Jewish community efforts in both Cleveland and Florida. With George *Soros, he contributed to MoveOn.org, a grass roots political group which unsuccessfully tried to elect a Democratic candidate to the U.S. presidency in 2004.

bibliography:

C. Dettelbach, "Peter B. Lewis Tells It Like It Is," in: The Cleveland Jewish News, 85:3 (July 19, 2002), 24); History of Progressive, http://www.progressive.com/progressive/history.asp; S. Litt, "This Lone Ranger Has Nothing to Hide: Peter B. Lewis, Progressive Corporation Chairman Has Strong Views on Art, Philanthropy, and the City of Cleveland," in: The Plain Dealer (Sept. 29, 2002, p. a1).