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J. D. Perry Lewis first saw a horseless carriage while visiting Paris in 1892. Thinking that he too would like to have one, Lewis set out to build his own on his return to St. Louis. Using an old horse buggy that belonged to his brother, Lewis built his own horseless carriage, the first seen in St. Louis in 1893. The automobile was very crude but ran seven to eight miles per hour on 12 batteries. The car met its demise when the rear axle broke in the middle of Locust Street and the car fell apart.

Lewis went on to work in the automobile industry for many years. He worked for the Halsey Automobile Company for 12 years before starting his own business, the Lewis Automobile Company at 4108 Olive Street, where he worked as the local agent for Moon cars. Lewis was also a director on the Board of Automobile Manufacturers and Dealers Association.

Lewis converted an old horse-drawn buggy by adding a large sprocket on the right rear wheel, a small sprocket on the motor shaft, a chain to connect the two, and an electric motor. The 12 storage batteries required ten hours to charge and could last for four hours of driving at speeds of up to 12 miles an hour. The carriage also had a foot brake and steering handle.