Lucius Lyon
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2013) |
Lucius Lyon | |
---|---|
Augustus S. Porter | |
United States Shadow Senator from the Michigan Territory | |
In office November 10, 1835 – January 26, 1837 | |
Preceded by | Seat established |
Succeeded by | Himself (U.S. Senator) |
Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan Territory's at-large district | |
In office March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1835 | |
Preceded by | Austin Eli Wing |
Succeeded by | George Jones |
Personal details | |
Born | Shelburne, Vermont, U.S. | February 26, 1800
Died | September 24, 1851 (aged 51) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Lucius Lyon (February 26, 1800 – September 24, 1851) was a U.S. statesman from the state of Michigan. Along with Louis Campau, Lucius Lyon is remembered as one of the founding fathers of Grand Rapids, Michigan, the state's second-largest city. A Democrat, he served as a Delegate to the U.S. House from Michigan Territory (1833–1835), a U.S. Senator from Michigan (1837–1839), and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's second congressional district (1843–1845).
Early life
Lyon was born in Shelburne, Vermont, on February 26, 1800, a son of Asa Lyon and Sarah (Atwater) Lyon.[1] He received a common school education in Shelburne and then worked with his father on the family farm.[2] At age 18, Lyon began attendance at academies in Shelburne and Burlington, and he taught school in between academy terms.[3] He studied engineering and surveying with John Johnson of Burlington, and moved to Detroit, Michigan, in 1821.[4] Lyon initially worked in Michigan as a teacher, then took up surveying, and was eventually appointed Deputy Surveyor General of Michigan Territory.[5]
Early career
During the summers of the mid-1820s, Lyon surveyed areas that are now parts of Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. In the winters, he often visited family in Vermont and studied scientific subjects including geology at
When Michigan applied for statehood in the 1830s, action was delayed in Congress because Ohio objected to surrendering the Toledo Strip, which resulted in a conflict known as the Toledo War.[7] Lyon's detailed knowledge of Michigan's geography enabled him to make a persuasive argument to residents of Michigan that accepting the Upper Peninsula in lieu of the Toledo Strip was an equitable solution.[7] The compromise caused Ohio to withdraw its objections to Michigan statehood, and Michigan joined the Union in 1837.[7]
Continued career
Lyon was elected as a non-voting Delegate to the
From May 11 to June 24, 1835, he was a member of the convention that drafted the first
On March 28, 1836, Lyon was a witness to the
He did not run for reelection in 1839 and moved to
Later career
After leaving Congress, Lyon was appointed by President
Lyon was also a major financial backer of Hiram Moore, an inventor and a founder of the village of Climax, Michigan. Moore reportedly invented a working farm machine in the 1830s and 1840s that "combined" the functions of a threshing machine and a reaper, decades before combines were commonly available.[9] Moore's designs were allegedly copied by Cyrus McCormick and despite many years of legal wrangling, Moore was unsuccessful in pursuing his patent claims.
He also owned a large tract of land in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and engaged in a feud over platting the area with the other major land owner, Louis Campau. Lyon wanted to call it the village of Kent rather than Grand Rapids. Lyon is also remembered in Grand Rapids for attempting to commercialize salt deposits in the city by boring a hole and extracting salt from the brine water below.
Lyon professed the
Death and burial
Lyon never married, and had no children.[11] He died at the Detroit home of his nephew George W. Thayer on September 24, 1851.[11][12] Lyon was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit.[13]
Legacy
The Michigan locales
Lyon Street and Lyon Square, both located in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, are named after him. In 2008, city leaders erected a bronze statue of Lyon's likeness downtown, part of a "Community Legends" initiative intended to pay tribute to pivotal figures in Grand Rapids history.
References
- ^ White, George H. (1889). "A Sketch of Lucius Lyon". Historical Collections. Vol. XIII. Lansing, MI: Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society. p. 325 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "A Sketch of Lucius Lyon", p. 325.
- ^ "A Sketch of Lucius Lyon", pp. 325–326.
- ^ "A Sketch of Lucius Lyon", pp. 326–327.
- ^ "A Sketch of Lucius Lyon", p. 327.
- ^ "A Sketch of Lucius Lyon", p. 328.
- ^ a b c "A Sketch of Lucius Lyon", p. 332.
- ^ a b "A Sketch of Lucius Lyon", pp. 331–332.
- ISBN 978-0-87013-825-6 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Yankees in Michigan, p. 1.
- ^ a b "A Sketch of Lucius Lyon", p. 333.
- ^ Thayer, George W. (1896). "Life of Senator Lucius Lyon". Historical Collections. Vol. XXII. Lansing, MI: Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society. p. 412 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Life of Senator Lucius Lyon", p. 412.
External links
- United States Congress. "Lucius Lyon (id: L000544)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- The Political Graveyard
- U.S. General Land Office Surveyors' Field Notes Archived 2004-01-22 at the Wayback Machine from Wisconsin Historical Society
- Important Dates in Michigan's Quest for Statehood
- The Grain Harvester and the Kalamazoo Connection
- Grand Rapids or Kent?
- David Rumsey Map Collection: Lyon Field Notes
Further reading
- Lucius Lyon: An Eminently Useful Citizen by Kit Lane; Publisher: Pavilion; Published Date: 1991; ISBN 1-877703-21-4
- Works by or about Lucius Lyon at Internet Archive
- Lucius Lyon papers William L. Clements Library
- Lucius Lyon at Find a Grave