Lucius Lyon: Difference between revisions

'''Lucius Lyon''' (February 26, 1800{{spaced ndash}}September 24, 1851) was a U.S. [[politician|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 [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], he served as a Delegate to the U.S. House from Michigan Territory (1833-18351833–1835), a U.S. Senator from Michigan (1837-18391837–1839), and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's second congressional district (1843-18451843–1845).

Lyon was born in [[Shelburne, Vermont]], on February 26, 1800, a son of Asa Lyon (1773–1850) and Sarah (Atwater) Lyon (1777–1813).<ref>{{cite magazine |last=White |first=George H. |date=1889 |title=A Sketch of Lucius Lyon |url=https://archive.org/details/michiganhistoric13mich |magazine=Historical Collections |volume=XIII |location=Lansing, MI |publisher=Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society |via=[[Internet Archive]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/michiganhistoric13mich/page/325 325] |ref={{sfnRef|"A Sketch of Lucius Lyon"}}}}</ref> He received a common school education in Shelburne and then worked with his father on the family farm.{{sfn|"A Sketch of Lucius Lyon"|page=325}} At age 18, Lyon began attendance at academies in Shelburne and [[Burlington, Vermont|Burlington]], and he taught school in between academy terms.{{sfn|"A Sketch of Lucius Lyon"|pages=325-326}} He studied engineering and surveying with John Johnson of Burlington, and moved to [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]] Territory, in 1821.{{sfn|"A Sketch of Lucius Lyon"|pages=326}-327}} Lyon initially worked in Michigan as a teacher, then took up [[surveying]], and was eventually appointed Deputy Surveyor General of [[Michigan Territory]].{{sfn|"A Sketch of Lucius Lyon"|page=327}}

On March 28, 1836, Lyon was a witness to the [[Treaty of Washington (1836)|Treaty of Washington of 1836]], in which the [[Ottawa (people)|Ottawa]] and [[Chippewa]] nations of Indians ceded much of the land in the northern portion of the [[Lower Peninsula of Michigan]]. He was also witness to a separate treaty on May 9, 1836, with the Chippewa in which additional land was ceded.

He did not run for reelection in 1839 and moved to [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]]. He was a member of the [[Board of Regents]] of the [[University of Michigan]] from 1837 to 1839, and was appointed Indian commissioner at [[La Pointe, Wisconsin]], in 1839. He was elected as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] from the newly formed [[Michigan's 2nd congressional district|2nd district]] in Michigan to the [[28th United States Congress|28th Congress]], serving one term from March 4, 1843, to March 3, 1845. He was the first person to represent Michigan in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House. In both houses of Congress he served on the [[United States House Committee on Resources|Committee on Public Lands]]. He did not run for reelection to the U.S. House in 1844.

After leaving Congress, Lyon was appointed by President [[James K. Polk]] as U.S. Surveyor General for [[Ohio]], [[Indiana]], and [[Michigan]].{{sfn|"A Sketch of Lucius Lyon"|pages=331-332}} He moved the office for this post from [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], to [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]], and served from 1845 to 1850.{{sfn|"A Sketch of Lucius Lyon"|pages=331-332}}

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 never married, and had no children.{{sfn|"A Sketch of Lucius Lyon"|page=333}} He died at the Detroit home of his nephew George W. Thayer on September 24, 1851.{{sfn|"A Sketch of Lucius Lyon"|page=333}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Thayer |first=George W. |date=1896 |title=Life of Senator Lucius Lyon |url=https://archive.org/details/michiganhistoric27michuoft |magazine=Historical Collections |volume=XXII |location=Lansing, MI |publisher=Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society |via=[[Internet Archive]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/michiganhistoric27michuoft/page/412 412] |ref={{sfnRef|"Life of Senator Lucius Lyon"}}}}</ref> Lyon was buried at [[Elmwood Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)|Elmwood Cemetery]] in Detroit.{{sfn|"Life of Senator Lucius Lyon"|page=412}}

The Michigan locales [[South Lyon, Michigan|South Lyon]],; [[Lyon Township, Oakland County, Michigan|Lyon Township, Oakland County]],; [[Lyon Township, Roscommon County, Michigan|Lyon Township, Roscommon County]],; [[Lyon Lake, Fredonia, Michigan|Lyon Lake]]; and [[Lyons Township, Michigan|Lyons Township]] are all named after Lucius Lyon. Notably, in 1836, Lucius Lyon purchased much of the property in a small village in [[Ionia County, Michigan]], and renamed it [[Lyons, Michigan|Lyons]]. He platted the village, established the first post office and installed his brother, Truman, as the first postmaster, although he never lived in the village.

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, as part of a "Community Legends" initiative intended to pay tribute to pivotal figures in Grand Rapids history.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bunte |first=Matt Vande |date=2016-05-05 |title=Where have you gone, Lucius Lyon? |url=https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2016/05/where_have_you_gone_lucius_lyo.html |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=[[mlive]] |language=en}}</ref>

*[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/localhistory/articles/surveyor.asp U.S. General Land Office Surveyors' Field Notes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040122125620/http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/localhistory/articles/surveyor.asp |date=2004-01-22 }} from Wisconsin Historical Society

*{{FindagraveFind a Grave|7450601}}

[[Category:Burials at Elmwood Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)]]