Lewis J. Saxton was born in Germany and educated in the National Schools of that country, where he learned the trade of cabinet maker. At an early age, Lewis realized his life’s ambition was to become a manufacturer, and America offered the most significant opportunity for success. He left his native country and traveled to New London, where he began to apply his trade as a cabinetmaker. When the Civil War began, he enlisted in the Twenty-sixth Connecticut regiment and was sent into the Deep South, where he participated in the capture of New Orleans, LA. He next shipped to Mississippi, where he took part in the siege of Port Hudson, which surrendered in 1863.

In 1875, Lewis became the paymaster for the Clinton Mills Co. of Norwich, a manufacturer of woolen fabrics. At that time, the Clinton Mills Co., situated on two and a half acres along the Yantic River, produced 250,000 pounds of finished goods and was capitalized at $160,000. Lewis Saxton took each opportunity to study and learn every facet of this business. Due to his hard work and efficiency, he was offered one promotion after another, until in 1906 he became an agent for the company. During this period, by following a frugal lifestyle, Lewis was able to save a large portion of his income.