Francis S. Lyon
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(March 2013) |
Francis Strother Lyon | |
|---|---|
 Antebellum daguerreotype of Francis Strother Lyon | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromAlabama's5thdistrict | |
| In office March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1839 | |
| Preceded by | John Murphy |
| Succeeded by | James Dellet |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 25, 1800 Stokes County, North Carolina |
| Died | December 31, 1882(aged 82) Marengo County, Alabama |
| Political party | Whig |
| Other political affiliations | Anti-Jacksonian(before 1837) |
| Occupation | Attorney, Planter, Politician |
Francis Strother Lyon(February 25, 1800 – December 31, 1882) was anAlabamaattorney and politician. He served two terms in theConfederate States Congressduring theAmerican Civil Warafter being anantebellummember of theUnited States Congress.
Early life[edit]
Lyon was born inStokes County, North Carolina,the son of James Lyon and Behetheland Gaines Lyon. He was a nephew of GeneralEdmund Pendleton Gainesand Col.George Strother Gaines,prominent figures in Alabama history. Lyon moved toMarengo County, Alabama,in 1817 to live with his uncle George Gaines and was admitted to the bar in 1821. His primary residence was atBluff HallinDemopolis,with a country estate nearby atBermuda Hill.[1]Lyon was secretary of the State Senate from 1822 to 1830, and then served in theAlabama State Senatefrom 1833 to 1834. He represented Alabama's Fifth District in theUnited States House of Representativesfrom 1835 to 1839. From 1845 to 1853, Lyon served as a commissioner in charge of administering the bankrupt state banking system.
Civil War[edit]
At the start of the Civil War, he served in theAlabama State House of Representativesin 1861. Lyon then represented Alabama in theFirst Confederate Congressand theSecond Confederate Congressfrom 1862 to 1865.
Postbellum[edit]
Following the collapse of theConfederacyin the spring of 1865, Lyon eventually returned home and resumed his legal career. He was elected as a delegate to the 1875 Alabama constitutional convention and was elected to the State Senate again in 1876. Lyon died inDemopolis, Alabama,and was buried there in Riverside Cemetery'sGlover Mausoleum.His daughter, Ida Ashe Lyon (1845-1912), married physicianWilliam Mecklenburg Polk,and was the mother ofFrank Polk,who served as counselor to the Department of State through World War One and later became the first USUnder Secretary of State.[2]
References[edit]
- ^"National Register Information System".National Register of Historic Places.National Park Service.April 15, 2008.
- ^"Frank Lyon Polk".The New York Times.February 7, 1943.Retrieved2015-11-05.
- United States Congress."Francis S. Lyon (id: L000542)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.Retrieved on 2009-04-14
- Political Graveyard
External links[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1800 births
- 1882 deaths
- People from Stokes County, North Carolina
- National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama
- Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama
- Members of the Confederate House of Representatives from Alabama
- Democratic Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives
- Democratic Party Alabama state senators
- People from Demopolis, Alabama
- Alabama lawyers
- 19th-century American lawyers