In Memoriam: Peter Lewis, Major Supporter of Drug Policy Reform

Peter B. Lewis, the billionaire head of Progressive Insurance and a leading funder of drug reform efforts in recent decades, died Saturday at his home in Coconut Grove, Florida. He was 80 years old.

The Cleveland native built Progressive, a small company started by his father, into an auto insurance powerhouse with more than 26,000 employees and $17 billion in premiums. His personal fortune was estimated at around $1 billion at the time of his death, and over his lifetime, he donated about $500 million to various causes.

As progressive as the name of his insurance company, Lewis financially supported the American Civil Liberties Union and the 2004 presidential campaign of then Sen. John Kerry. He also helped launched progressive organizations including Media Matters, Third Way, Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington, among others.

One of his causes was drug law reform, particularly marijuana. Open about his enjoyment of the herb, Lewis was arrested by New Zealand authorities in 2000 after flying into the country to attend yacht races. But his financial support for the cause predated that event. Through the years Lewis contributed millions of dollars to a series of a initiative campaigns, including last year's successful campaigns in Colorado and Washington, where he was the single largest donor. Before he died, he also contributed to a nascent effort to put a legalization initiative on the 2014 Oregon ballot.

Along with financier George Soros and Phoenix University founder John Sperling, Lewis was for years one of the troika of big money funders for drug reform. That has begun to change as a new generation of entrepreneurs begin to pony up for reform, but Lewis and his money played a critical role in the reform movement getting to where it is now.

"The role that Peter has played in marijuana reform is that of leading this movement to the very brink of success," attorney and Lewis political strategist Graham Boyd told the Cleveland Plain Dealer Saturday night. "We've won two important states and I think just in the very near future there's going to be a cascade of victories that will be attributable to him and I do wish he had lived to see that success."