Arthur Lewis was always ahead of his time.

As Hawaiian Airlines' president during the 1950s, Lewis modernized the local carrier's fleet and management to take advantage of the post-World War II economic boom.

He also was a co-founder of Mid Pacific Airlines, whose entry into the local market during the early 1980s kicked off the first of several interisland fare wars.

Lewis died on Jan. 12 in Silver Springs, Md., after suffering from heart problems and pneumonia. He was 89.

A native of Texas, Lewis assumed the helm at Hawaiian in 1955, succeeding company foun-der Stan Kennedy. Lewis, then 37, shook up the airline's management ranks by implementing new cost-control measures.

He also acquired more modern Douglas DC-6 aircraft to replace Hawaiian's aging fleet. Lewis wanted to use the DC-6s to fly from Hawai'i to the Mainland, but the airline was not able to get federal approval for the trans-Pacific routes.

Hawaiian would eventually begin scheduled service to the West Coast in 1985.

"He played an important role in setting Hawaiian up for its success," said Peter Forman, local aviation industry historian and author of the 2005 book "Wings of Paradise: Hawai'i's Incomparable Airlines."

Lewis left Hawaiian in 1964 to become the No. 2 executive at Eastern Airlines.

Later that year, he was named Eastern's president, a title he held until 1969, according to his son, Greg Lewis.

After Eastern, Lewis served as chairman of F.S. Smithers, a Wall Street investment firm, and served as chairman of the United States Railway Association, which was established in the early 1970s after the failure of Penn Central Transportation and several other rail companies.

In the early 1990s, he co-founded USAfrica Airways, which became the first U.S. airline to fly directly to South Africa since Pan American World Airways ceased service to Africa in the mid-1980s.

Greg Lewis, who also worked for USAfrica, recalled that the startup carrier's first flight to Africa came just weeks after Nelson Mandela was sworn in as South Africa's president.

"We really blazed new ground," said Greg Lewis, a former attorney who now serves as executive director of a Washington, D.C.-based theater organization.

In the early and mid-1980s, Lewis broke new ground in the local interisland market when he helped co-found Mid Pacific Airlines.

In a precursor to today's cutthroat fare war, Mid Pacific offered sharp discounts, forcing Hawaiian and Aloha airlines to match.

The low fares boosted passenger traffic but prompted all three carriers to lose money until Mid Pac eventually went out of business in 1988.

In addition to his work for the Hawai'i airlines, Lewis was very active in the local community. He is a former board member of C. Brewer & Co., Bishop Trust Co. and the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce.

He also is a past member of the University of Hawai'i's Board of Regents and 'Iolani School's board of governors.

Shortly after leaving Hawaiian, then-Gov. John Burns disclosed that Arthur Lewis was a longtime political backer and one of his largest contributors.

Born in Greenville, Texas, Lewis graduated from the University of Texas, where he specialized in economics and business administration.

Lewis is survived by his wife, Hildegard, of Silver Springs, Md.; son, Greg of Chevy Chase, Md.; daughter, Kimberly Lewis Gibson of Vienna, Va.; and five grandchildren.

Reach Rick Daysog at rdaysog@honoluluadvertiser.com.