Lyman R. Critchfield was a Democratic politician from the state of 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...

. He was Ohio Attorney General

Ohio Attorney General

The Ohio Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio Attorney General is Mike DeWine.-History:...

 1863-1865.

Lyman R. Critchfield was born May 22, 1831 at Danville

Danville, Ohio

Danville is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,104 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

 Knox County, Ohio

Knox County, Ohio

Knox County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2010, the population was 60,921. Its county seat is Mount Vernon and is named for Henry Knox, an officer in the American Revolutionary War who was later the first Secretary of War....

. His family moved to Millersburg

Millersburg, Ohio

Millersburg is a village in Holmes County, Ohio, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 3,326. It is the county seat of Holmes County.-Geography:Millersburg is located at , along Killbuck Creek...

 Holmes County, Ohio

Holmes County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 38,943 people, 11,337 households, and 9,194 families residing in the county. The population density was 92 people per square mile . There were 12,280 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...

 in 1834. He attended public schools and graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...

. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1853, when he began practicing in Millersburg. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Holmes County in 1859 and re-elected in 1861. He resigned in 1862 when elected as State Attorney General.

In 1862 Critchfield was nominated by the Democratic Party for Attorney General, and defeated Republican Chauncey N. Olds

Chauncey N. Olds

Chauncey N. Olds was a Republican politician from the state of Ohio. He was Ohio Attorney General 1865.-Biography:Chauncey Olds was born February 2, 1816 at Marlboro, Vermont, brother of Edson B. Olds. He was moved to Cuyahoga County, Ohio at age four. In 1830, the family moved to Circleville,...

 in the general election. In 1864, he ran again and was defeated by Republican William P. Richardson

William P. Richardson

William Pitt Richardson was a Republican politician from the state of Ohio, USA. He was Ohio Attorney General in 1865....

. In 1868 he lost the election for Ohio's 14th congressional district

Ohio's 14th congressional district

The 14th congressional district of Ohio is currently represented by Representative Steven C. LaTourette. This district sits in the farthest northeast corner of the state, bordering Lake Erie and Pennsylvania....

 to Martin Welker

Martin Welker

Martin Welker was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.-Biography:Born in Knox County, Ohio, Welker attended the common schools.He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1840, commencing practice at Millersburg, Ohio...

.

In 1887, he was nominated for Supreme Court Judge, but lost to Republican William T. Spear

William T. Spear

William Thomas Spear was a Republican politician in the U.S. State of Ohio who was a judge on the Ohio Supreme Court 1885–1912.-Biography:...

. In 1888 tried again and lost to Joseph Perry Bradbury

Joseph Perry Bradbury

Joseph Perry Bradbury was a Republican politician in the U.S. State of Ohio who was a judge on the Ohio Supreme Court 1889–1901....

.

Lyman R. Critchfield married Adelaide Margaret Shaffer on October 2, 1854 and had seven children. He was a Mason

Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...

, and Methodist Episcopal by faith. In later years he lived in Wooster, Ohio

Wooster, Ohio

Wooster is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio approximately SSW of Cleveland and SW of Akron. Wooster is noted as the location of The College of Wooster...

. Adelaide burned to death in 1895, and Lyman died at his desk in 1917.