Lucius Lyon
Encyclopedia
Lucius Lyon was a U.S.
statesman
from the state of Michigan
. He was born in Shelburne, Vermont
, where he received a common school education and studied engineering and surveying. He moved to Bronson, Michigan
, in 1821 where he became a land surveyor
, eventually becoming the Deputy Surveyor General of the Michigan Territory
.
In 1829, he was commissioned to rebuild the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse
at the entrance to the St. Clair River
from Lake Huron
.
In the 1830s, he surveyed a portion of what would become the boundary between Illinois
and Wisconsin
. Lucius Lyon placed the initial point of the Fourth Principal Meridian
on December 10, 1831. He also participated in the survey parties which established the baseline
and meridian
used to define township
s in Wisconsin. His field notebooks recorded considerable detail about the land he surveyed, providing a rich source of information for later researchers.
He was elected as a non-voting Delegate to the U.S. Congress for the Michigan Territory
, serving 1833-1834. On December 11, 1833, he presented a formal petition to Congress requesting Michigan's admission into the Union. Congress delayed consideration of statehood, in part due to a dispute with Ohio
over the Toledo Strip and also in part due to opposition from southern states to admit another free state
.
From May 11 to June 24, 1835, he was a member of the convention that drafted the first Michigan Constitution
, which voters adopted in October, 1835. In November 1835, Lyon was elected as U.S. Senator. However Michigan's delegation to Congress was seated as "spectators", pending Michigan's admission as a state. Upon Michigan's admission as a state on January 26, 1837, Lyon served as a full U.S. Senator until 1839.
On March 28, 1836, Lyon was a witness to the Treaty of Washington
of 1836, in which the 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
, 1837-1839, and was appointed Indian commissioner at La Pointe, Wisconsin
in 1839. He was elected as a Democrat
from the newly formed 2nd district
in Michigan to the 28th Congress
, serving one term from March 4, 1843 to March 4, 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 Committee on Public Lands
.
He did not run for reelection and was appointed by President James K. Polk
in 1845 as surveyor general for Ohio
, Indiana
, and Michigan
. He moved the office for this post from Cincinnati, Ohio
to Detroit, Michigan
and served in this capacity until 1850.
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. 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.
In politics he was Democrat
, in religion a Swedenborgian
. He was also a temperance
advocate associated with the Washingtonian movement
.
Lucius Lyon died in Detroit and was interred in Elmwood Cemetery
.
South Lyon, Michigan
, Lyon Township, Oakland County, Michigan
, Lyon Township, Roscommon County, Michigan
, Lyon Lake, Fredonia, Michigan and Lyons Township, Michigan
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
. 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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
from the state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He was born in Shelburne, Vermont
Shelburne, Vermont
Shelburne is a town in southwestern Chittenden County, Vermont, United States, along the shores of Lake Champlain. The population was 7,144 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, where he received a common school education and studied engineering and surveying. He moved to Bronson, Michigan
Bronson, Michigan
Bronson is a city located in west central Branch County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,349 at the 2010 census.Bronson is situated on U.S. Route 12 about southwest of Coldwater...
, in 1821 where he became a land surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
, eventually becoming the Deputy Surveyor General of the Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
.
In 1829, he was commissioned to rebuild the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse
Fort Gratiot Lighthouse
Fort Gratiot Light, the first lighthouse in the state of Michigan, was constructed north of Fort Gratiot in 1829 by Lucius Lyon, who later became one of Michigan's first U.S. Senators....
at the entrance to the St. Clair River
St. Clair River
The St. Clair River is a river in central North America which drains Lake Huron into Lake St Clair, forming part of the international boundary between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan...
from Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
.
In the 1830s, he surveyed a portion of what would become the boundary between Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Lucius Lyon placed the initial point of the Fourth Principal Meridian
Fourth Principal Meridian
The Fourth Principal Meridian, set in 1815, is the principal meridian for land surveys in northwestern Illinois and west-central Illinois, and its 1831 extension is the principal meridian for land surveys in Wisconsin and northeastern Minnesota...
on December 10, 1831. He also participated in the survey parties which established the baseline
Baseline (surveying)
In the United States Public Land Survey System, a baseline is the principal east-west line that divides survey townships between north and south. The baseline meets its corresponding meridian at the point of origin, or initial point, for the land survey...
and meridian
Principal meridian
A meridian is an imaginary line on the Earth's surface from the North Pole to the South Pole that connects all locations with a given longitude. Each is half of a great circle on the Earth's surface...
used to define township
Survey township
Survey township, sometimes called Congressional township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System, refers to a square unit of land, that is nominally six miles on a side...
s in Wisconsin. His field notebooks recorded considerable detail about the land he surveyed, providing a rich source of information for later researchers.
He was elected as a non-voting Delegate to the U.S. Congress for the Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
, serving 1833-1834. On December 11, 1833, he presented a formal petition to Congress requesting Michigan's admission into the Union. Congress delayed consideration of statehood, in part due to a dispute with Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
over the Toledo Strip and also in part due to opposition from southern states to admit another free state
Free state
Free state may refer to:* Free state , a loosely defined term used by various states at different times and places to describe themselves...
.
From May 11 to June 24, 1835, he was a member of the convention that drafted the first Michigan Constitution
Michigan Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Michigan is the governing document of the U.S. state of Michigan. It describes the structure and function of the state's government....
, which voters adopted in October, 1835. In November 1835, Lyon was elected as U.S. Senator. However Michigan's delegation to Congress was seated as "spectators", pending Michigan's admission as a state. Upon Michigan's admission as a state on January 26, 1837, Lyon served as a full U.S. Senator until 1839.
On March 28, 1836, Lyon was a witness to the Treaty of Washington
Treaty of Washington (1836)
The Treaty of Washington is a treaty between the United States and representatives of the Ottawa and Chippewa nations of Native Americans. With this treaty, the tribes ceded an area of approximately 13,837,207 acres in the northwest portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and the eastern...
of 1836, in which the Ottawa and Chippewa nations of Indians ceded much of the land in the northern portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan
Lower Peninsula of Michigan
The Lower Peninsula of Michigan is the southern of the two major landmasses of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is surrounded by water on all sides except its southern border, which it shares with Ohio and Indiana. Geographically, the Lower Peninsula has a recognizable shape that many people...
. 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
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
. He was a member of the Board of Regents
Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs public institutions of higher education, which include both state universities and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual colleges and universities, or both. In general they operate as...
of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, 1837-1839, and was appointed Indian commissioner at La Pointe, Wisconsin
La Pointe, Wisconsin
La Pointe is a town in Ashland County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The town includes all of the Apostle Islands. There is also an unincorporated community named La Pointe on Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands . The population was 246 at the 2000 census...
in 1839. He was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
from the newly formed 2nd district
Michigan's 2nd congressional district
Michigan's 2nd congressional district is a United States Congressional district in Western Michigan. It consists of the counties of Benzie, Manistee, Wexford, Mason, Lake, Oceana, Newaygo, Muskegon, Ottawa, and the northern portion of Allegan and the northwest portion of Kent. The 2nd district has...
in Michigan to the 28th Congress
28th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:Following the 1840 United States Census, Congress reapportioned the House to include 223 seats . During this congress, one House seat was added for the new state of Florida .- Senate :*President: Vacant...
, serving one term from March 4, 1843 to March 4, 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 Committee on Public Lands
Committee on Public Lands
The Committee on Public Lands may refer to predecessors of current committees in the two houses of the United State Congress:*United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, formerly known as the Senate Committee on Public Lands...
.
He did not run for reelection and was appointed by President James K. Polk
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
in 1845 as surveyor general for Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He moved the office for this post from Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
to Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
and served in this capacity until 1850.
Lyon was also a major financial backer of Hiram Moore, an inventor and a founder of the village of Climax, Michigan
Climax, Michigan
Climax is a village in Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 791 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Climax Township on the northern boundary with Charleston Township, and is roughly west of Battle Creek and east of Kalamazoo...
. Moore reportedly invented a working farm machine in the 1830s and 1840s that "combined" the functions of a threshing machine
Threshing machine
The thrashing machine, or, in modern spelling, threshing machine , was a machine first invented by Scottish mechanical engineer Andrew Meikle for use in agriculture. It was invented for the separation of grain from stalks and husks. For thousands of years, grain was separated by hand with flails,...
and a reaper
Reaper
A reaper is a person or machine that reaps crops at harvest, when they are ripe.-Hand reaping:Hand reaping is done by various means, including plucking the ears of grains directly by hand, cutting the grain stalks with a sickle, cutting them with a scythe, or with a later type of scythe called a...
, decades before combines
Combine harvester
The combine harvester, or simply combine, is a machine that harvests grain crops. The name derives from the fact that it combines three separate operations, reaping, threshing, and winnowing, into a single process. Among the crops harvested with a combine are wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn ,...
were commonly available. Moore's designs were allegedly copied by Cyrus McCormick
Cyrus McCormick
Cyrus Hall McCormick, Sr. was an American inventor and founder of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which became part of International Harvester Company in 1902.He and many members of the McCormick family became prominent Chicagoans....
and despite many years of legal wrangling, Moore was unsuccessful in pursuing his patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
claims.
He also owned a large tract of land in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
and engaged in a feud over platting the area with the other major land owner, Louis Campau
Louis Campau
Louis Campau was an important figure in the early settlement of two important Michigan cities.He established the first trading post at what is today Saginaw, Michigan, as early as 1815. He also fought in the War of 1812 and played a key role in negotiating the Treaty of Saginaw in 1819. This...
. 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.
In politics he was Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, in religion a Swedenborgian
Swedenborgian
A Swedenborgian is the doctrines, beliefs, and practices of the Church of the New Jerusalem, and is an adjective describing a person or an organization that understands the Bible through the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg....
. He was also a temperance
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
advocate associated with the Washingtonian movement
Washingtonian movement
The Washingtonian movement was a 19th century fellowship founded on April 2, 1840 by six hard drinkers at Chase's Tavern on Liberty Street in Baltimore, Maryland...
.
Lucius Lyon died in Detroit and was interred in Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)
Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit is one of Michigan's most important historic cemeteries. Located at 1200 Elmwood Street in Detroit's Eastside Historic Cemetery District, Elmwood is the oldest continuously operating, non-denominational cemetery in Michigan...
.
South Lyon, Michigan
South Lyon, Michigan
South Lyon is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 11,327 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the South Lyon-Howell-Brighton Urban Area, which had a population of 106,139 according to the 2000 census...
, Lyon Township, Oakland County, Michigan
Lyon Township, Oakland County, Michigan
Lyon Charter Township is a charter township of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 14,545 at the 2010 census.- Communities :...
, Lyon Township, Roscommon County, Michigan
Lyon Township, Roscommon County, Michigan
Lyon Township is a civil township of Roscommon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,462 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, Lyon Lake, Fredonia, Michigan and Lyons Township, Michigan
Lyons Township, Michigan
Lyons Township is a civil township of Ionia County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,446 at the 2000 census. The village of Lyons is mostly within the 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
Ionia County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 61,518 people, 20,606 households, and 15,145 families residing in the county. The population density was 107 people per square mile . There were 22,006 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
and renamed it Lyons, Michigan
Lyons, Michigan
Lyons is a village in Ionia County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 726 at the 2000 census. Most of the village is within Lyons Township. A small portion extends west into Ionia Township.- Geography :...
. 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.
Further reading
- Lucius Lyon: An Eminently Useful Citizen by Kit Lane; Publisher: Pavilion; Published Date: 1991; ISBN 1-877703-21-4
External Links
- Lucius Lyon papers William L. Clements Library