Charles Lewes's Career

Abstract Like many offspring of celebrity parents, Charles Lee Lewes, the eldest son of George Henry Lewes, is known—if at all—as a footnote to the biography of his father and stepmother, George Eliot. This article demonstrates his claims to consideration on his own account, particularly in his role as George Eliot's residual legatee, while acknowledging the advantages he derived from his family connections. Charles was employed in the Post Office, but had aspirations to a literary career, publishing translations, stories, sketches, and articles on topical subjects. He also prepared his father's work and George Eliot's Essays and Leaves from a Notebook (1884) for the press. Charles's wife, Gertrude, who succeeded him as literary trustee, was a sister of the reformer Octavia Hill, and her family also influenced his activities.