Carlton Lewis, the first African-American student body president at WSU, was elected in both 1970 and 1971, serving two consecutive terms before graduating in 1972. During his terms, the United States’ was actively involved in Vietnam and the draft lottery system was in place, a system that impacted many young men enrolled at WSU. Issues related to the rights of racial minorities also dominated the Pullman campus. Many students and faculty members were pressuring WSU administration to increase recruitment of minority students and create new academic programs, like Black Studies.

Lewis graduated with a degree in political science from WSU in 1972 and went on to earn his master’s in public administration from the University of Washington. He moved to Washington D.C. in 1976 and founded his own consulting firm, DevCorp Consulting Corporation.