Born near
St. Clairsville, Ohio, Lentz attended the
common schools and the St. Clairsville High School. He was a school teacher for four years. He graduated from the
National Normal University,
Lebanon, Ohio, in 1877 and then attended the
University of Wooster in 1877 and 1878. He graduated from the
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1882 and from
Columbia Law School,
New York City, in 1883. He was
admitted to the bar in
Columbus, Ohio, in October 1883 and practiced. He was law partner with
George K. Nash from 1887 until Nash's death in 1904. He was the founder of the American Insurance Union in 1894 and was its president continuously from then until his death. He was a
trustee of
Ohio University at Athens. ==Congress ==