Matthew Lyon
Encyclopedia
Matthew Lyon father of Chittenden Lyon
and great-grandfather of William Peters Hepburn
, was a printer, farmer
, soldier
and politician
, serving as a United States Representative from both Vermont
and Kentucky
.
Lyon was born near Dublin, in nearby County Wicklow
, Ireland
, and attended school in Dublin. He began to learn the printer's trade in 1763, but emigrated to Connecticut
in 1765. Lyon landed as a redemptioner
and worked on a farm in Woodbury
, where he continued his education.
In 1774, Lyon moved to Wallingford, Vermont (then known as the New Hampshire Grants
), and organized a company of militia
. He served as adjutant
in Colonel Seth Warner
's regiment in Canada
in 1775, and was then commissioned a Second Lieutenant
in the regiment known as the Green Mountain Boys
in July 1776. He moved to Arlington, Vermont, in 1777.
court martialed him for cowardice. Reportedly, Lyon was ordered to carry a wooden sword to represent his shame. Lyon became a member of the Vermont House of Representatives
, serving from 1779 to 1783. He founded Fair Haven, Vermont in 1779 and returned to the state House of Representatives for ten years from 1783 to 1796.
Lyon built and operated various kinds of mills
, including one for the manufacture of paper
. He established a printing office in 1793 and published the Farmers' Library, afterward the Fair Haven Gazette. Lyon was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Second and Third Congresses, and unsuccessfully contested the election of Israel Smith
to the Fourth Congress. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican
to the Fifth and Sixth Congresses (March 4, 1797 - March 3, 1801); he was not a candidate for renomination in 1800.
Lyon had the distinction of being the first member to have an ethics violation charge filed against him when he was accused of "gross indecency" for spitting in Roger Griswold
's face. Griswold, a Congressman from Connecticut
had insulted Lyon, calling him a scoundrel, which at the time was considered profanity
. On January 30, 1798. Congress planned to have a meeting to remove William Blount
, of Tennessee
, from office. Griswold was trying to attract Lyon's attention, but Lyon was ignoring him on purpose, since they belonged to opposing political parties (Lyon was a Democratic-Republican and Griswold a Federalist
). Griswold finally lost his temper and insulted Lyon. Their clash began when Lyon began a Congressional discussion by declaring himself a champion for the interest of the common man. Mockingly, Federalist Congressman Roger Griswold asked if Lyon would be fighting with his wooden sword, a reference to Lyon's dismissal for cowardice during the Revolutionary War. Furious, Lyon spat on the Congressman, earning himself the nickname "The Spitting Lyon". On February 15, 1798, Griswold retaliated by beating Lyon around the head with a wooden cane in view of other representatives on the Senate floor. Lyon retreated to a fire pit and defended himself with the tongs until other Congressmen broke up the fight. Griswold had to be pulled by his legs to urge him to let go of Lyon.. Although the Ethics Committee recommended censure, the House as a whole rejected the motion to censure him. Having married the daughter of Governor Chittenden
, it is possible Lyon had too much pull to have been removed; though other argue it was because any actions taken against Lyon would have to be equaled against Griswold.
Lyon also has the distinction of being the only person to be elected to Congress while in jail. On October 10, 1798, Lyon was found guilty of sedition
, in violation of the Alien and Sedition Acts
; which prohibited malicious writing of the American government as a whole, or of the houses of Congress, or of the President of the United States. Lyon was the first person to be put to trial for violating the acts on charges of criticizing Federalist
president John Adams
for his pretense of going to war against France
.
refused to published his perceived radical work. On October 1st, Lyon printed this paper speaking of the "unbounded thirst for ridiculous pomp, foolish adulation, and selfish avarice," as well as Adams' corruption of religion to further his war aims. At the time it was quite common for Federalists to cite religious reasons for going to war against France; as well as for silencing the opposition. Lyon had also, before the Alien and Sedition Acts had been passed, written a letter to one Alden Spooner, the publisher of the Vermont Journal. In this letter, which was written in response to perceived personal attacks from the Journal, Lyon called the president "bullying," and the Senate's responses "stupid." Once the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed, the Federalists pushed for this letter to be printed in the Vermont Journal, adding charges to Lyon by subterfuge. One other charge included publishing letters written by the poet Joel Barlow
, which Lyon had read at political rallies. These also were published prior to the Acts. Lyon's defense was to be the unconstitutionality of the Acts, as Jeffersonians
saw these Acts as violating the First Amendment to the Constitution. In Lyon's particular case, there was the aforementioned letter to Alden Spooner as well as that of Barlow, which meant Lyon felt entitled to bring up the Constitution's safeguards against ex post facto laws
. This defense was not allowed.
Lyon was sentenced to four months in a Vergennes jail cell of dimensions 16' x 12' used for felons, counterfeiters
, thieves, and runaway slaves; and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and court costs, while Judge Paterson lamented being unable to give a harsher punishment. A bit of a resistance movement was created; the Green Mountain Boys even threatened to destroy the jail and might have done so if not for Lyon urging peaceful resistance. While in jail, Lyon won election to the Sixth Congress; nearly doubling the votes of his best adversary, 4,576 to 2,444. Upon his release Lyon exclaimed "I am on my way to Philadelphia!" In the election of 1800 Matthew Lyon cast the deciding vote for Jefferson
after the election went to the House of Representatives because of an electoral tie. Lyon's trial, conviction, and incarceration boosted his status among the fledgling American Republican political elite as something of a free-speech martyr.
in 1801 and settled in Caldwell County
(now Lyon County
). He became a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
in 1802 and was elected to the Eighth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1803 - March 3, 1811). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1810 to the Twelfth Congress.
Lyon was appointed United States factor to the Cherokee Nation
in Arkansas Territory
in 1820; and again attempted to serve in Washington, DC when he unsuccessfully contested the election of James W. Bates as a Delegate from the Arkansas Territory
to the Seventeenth Congress. Lyon died in Spadra Bluff, Arkansas, August 1, 1822; interment in Spadra Bluff Cemetery; reinterment in Eddyville Cemetery, Eddyville, Caldwell (now Lyon) County, Ky., in 1833.
Chittenden Lyon
Chittenden Lyon was a United States Representative from Kentucky and the son of Matthew Lyon. He was born in Fair Haven, Vermont and attended the common schools. In 1801, he moved to Kentucky with his parents, who settled in Caldwell County, Kentucky...
and great-grandfather of William Peters Hepburn
William Peters Hepburn
William Peters Hepburn was an American Civil War officer and an eleven-term Republican congressman from Iowa's now-obsolete 8th congressional district, serving from 1881 to 1887, and from 1893 to 1909...
, was a printer, farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
, soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, serving as a United States Representative from both Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
.
Lyon was born near Dublin, in nearby County Wicklow
County Wicklow
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and attended school in Dublin. He began to learn the printer's trade in 1763, but emigrated to Connecticut
Connecticut Colony
The Connecticut Colony or Colony of Connecticut was an English colony located in British America that became the U.S. state of Connecticut. Originally known as the River Colony, it was organized on March 3, 1636 as a haven for Puritan noblemen. After early struggles with the Dutch, the English...
in 1765. Lyon landed as a redemptioner
Redemptioner
Redemptioners were European immigrants, generally in the 18th or early 19th century, who gained passage to America by selling themselves into indentured servitude to pay back the shipping company which had advanced the cost of the transatlantic voyage...
and worked on a farm in Woodbury
Woodbury, Connecticut
Woodbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,198 at the 2000 census. The town center is also designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place . Woodbury was founded in 1672....
, where he continued his education.
In 1774, Lyon moved to Wallingford, Vermont (then known as the New Hampshire Grants
New Hampshire Grants
The New Hampshire Grants or Benning Wentworth Grants were land grants made between 1749 and 1764 by the provincial governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth. The land grants, totaling about 135 , were made on land claimed by New Hampshire west of the Connecticut River, territory that was also...
), and organized a company of militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
. He served as adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
in Colonel Seth Warner
Seth Warner
Seth Warner was born in Roxbury, Connecticut. In 1763, he removed with his father to Bennington in what was then known as the New Hampshire Grants. He established there as a huntsman....
's regiment in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1775, and was then commissioned a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the regiment known as the Green Mountain Boys
Green Mountain Boys
The Green Mountain Boys were a militia organization first established in the 1760s in the territory between the British provinces of New York and New Hampshire, known as the New Hampshire Grants...
in July 1776. He moved to Arlington, Vermont, in 1777.
Political Life
Lyon served briefly during the Revolutionary War, ending his service on a low note when General Horatio GatesHoratio Gates
Horatio Lloyd Gates was a retired British soldier who served as an American general during the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga – Benedict Arnold, who led the attack, was finally forced from the field when he was shot in the leg – and...
court martialed him for cowardice. Reportedly, Lyon was ordered to carry a wooden sword to represent his shame. Lyon became a member of the Vermont House of Representatives
Vermont House of Representatives
The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members. Vermont legislative districting divides representing districts into 66 single-member districts and 42 two-member...
, serving from 1779 to 1783. He founded Fair Haven, Vermont in 1779 and returned to the state House of Representatives for ten years from 1783 to 1796.
Lyon built and operated various kinds of mills
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
, including one for the manufacture of paper
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...
. He established a printing office in 1793 and published the Farmers' Library, afterward the Fair Haven Gazette. Lyon was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Second and Third Congresses, and unsuccessfully contested the election of Israel Smith
Israel Smith
Israel Smith was an American lawyer and politician who held a wide variety of positions in the state of Vermont....
to the Fourth Congress. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican
Democratic-Republican Party (United States)
The Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along...
to the Fifth and Sixth Congresses (March 4, 1797 - March 3, 1801); he was not a candidate for renomination in 1800.
Lyon had the distinction of being the first member to have an ethics violation charge filed against him when he was accused of "gross indecency" for spitting in Roger Griswold
Roger Griswold
Roger Griswold was the 22nd Governor of Connecticut and a member of the US House of Representatives, serving as a Federalist....
's face. Griswold, a Congressman from Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
had insulted Lyon, calling him a scoundrel, which at the time was considered profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
. On January 30, 1798. Congress planned to have a meeting to remove William Blount
William Blount
William Blount, was a United States statesman. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention for North Carolina, the first and only governor of the Southwest Territory, and Democratic-Republican Senator from Tennessee . He played a major role in establishing the state of Tennessee. He was the...
, of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, from office. Griswold was trying to attract Lyon's attention, but Lyon was ignoring him on purpose, since they belonged to opposing political parties (Lyon was a Democratic-Republican and Griswold a Federalist
Federalist
The term federalist describes several political beliefs around the world. Also, it may refer to the concept of federalism or the type of government called a federation...
). Griswold finally lost his temper and insulted Lyon. Their clash began when Lyon began a Congressional discussion by declaring himself a champion for the interest of the common man. Mockingly, Federalist Congressman Roger Griswold asked if Lyon would be fighting with his wooden sword, a reference to Lyon's dismissal for cowardice during the Revolutionary War. Furious, Lyon spat on the Congressman, earning himself the nickname "The Spitting Lyon". On February 15, 1798, Griswold retaliated by beating Lyon around the head with a wooden cane in view of other representatives on the Senate floor. Lyon retreated to a fire pit and defended himself with the tongs until other Congressmen broke up the fight. Griswold had to be pulled by his legs to urge him to let go of Lyon.. Although the Ethics Committee recommended censure, the House as a whole rejected the motion to censure him. Having married the daughter of Governor Chittenden
Thomas Chittenden
Thomas Chittenden was an important figure in the founding of Vermont.Chittenden was born in East Guilford, Connecticut and moved to Vermont in 1774, where he founded the town of Williston. During the American Revolution, Chittenden was a member of a committee empowered to negotiate with the...
, it is possible Lyon had too much pull to have been removed; though other argue it was because any actions taken against Lyon would have to be equaled against Griswold.
Lyon also has the distinction of being the only person to be elected to Congress while in jail. On October 10, 1798, Lyon was found guilty of sedition
Sedition Act
Sedition Act may refer to:*Alien and Sedition Acts, including the Sedition Act of 1798, laws passed by the United States Congress*Sedition Act 1661, an English statute that largely relates to treason...
, in violation of the Alien and Sedition Acts
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts were four bills passed in 1798 by the Federalists in the 5th United States Congress in the aftermath of the French Revolution's reign of terror and during an undeclared naval war with France, later known as the Quasi-War. They were signed into law by President John Adams...
; which prohibited malicious writing of the American government as a whole, or of the houses of Congress, or of the President of the United States. Lyon was the first person to be put to trial for violating the acts on charges of criticizing Federalist
Federalist Party (United States)
The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
president John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
for his pretense of going to war against France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Sedition
Lyon had launched his own newspaper, The Scourge Of Aristocracy and Repository of Important Political Truth, when the Rutland HeraldRutland Herald
The Rutland Herald is the second largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Vermont . It is published in Rutland. With a daily circulation of about 12,000, it is the main source of news geared towards the southern part of the state, along with the Brattleboro Reformer and the Bennington Banner...
refused to published his perceived radical work. On October 1st, Lyon printed this paper speaking of the "unbounded thirst for ridiculous pomp, foolish adulation, and selfish avarice," as well as Adams' corruption of religion to further his war aims. At the time it was quite common for Federalists to cite religious reasons for going to war against France; as well as for silencing the opposition. Lyon had also, before the Alien and Sedition Acts had been passed, written a letter to one Alden Spooner, the publisher of the Vermont Journal. In this letter, which was written in response to perceived personal attacks from the Journal, Lyon called the president "bullying," and the Senate's responses "stupid." Once the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed, the Federalists pushed for this letter to be printed in the Vermont Journal, adding charges to Lyon by subterfuge. One other charge included publishing letters written by the poet Joel Barlow
Joel Barlow
Joel Barlow was an American poet, diplomat and politician. In his own time, Barlow was well-known for the epic Vision of Columbus. Modern readers may be more familiar with "The Hasty Pudding"...
, which Lyon had read at political rallies. These also were published prior to the Acts. Lyon's defense was to be the unconstitutionality of the Acts, as Jeffersonians
Jeffersonian democracy
Jeffersonian Democracy, so named after its leading advocate Thomas Jefferson, is a term used to describe one of two dominant political outlooks and movements in the United States from the 1790s to the 1820s. The term was commonly used to refer to the Democratic-Republican Party which Jefferson...
saw these Acts as violating the First Amendment to the Constitution. In Lyon's particular case, there was the aforementioned letter to Alden Spooner as well as that of Barlow, which meant Lyon felt entitled to bring up the Constitution's safeguards against ex post facto laws
Ex post facto law
An ex post facto law or retroactive law is a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences of actions committed or relationships that existed prior to the enactment of the law...
. This defense was not allowed.
Lyon was sentenced to four months in a Vergennes jail cell of dimensions 16' x 12' used for felons, counterfeiters
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
, thieves, and runaway slaves; and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and court costs, while Judge Paterson lamented being unable to give a harsher punishment. A bit of a resistance movement was created; the Green Mountain Boys even threatened to destroy the jail and might have done so if not for Lyon urging peaceful resistance. While in jail, Lyon won election to the Sixth Congress; nearly doubling the votes of his best adversary, 4,576 to 2,444. Upon his release Lyon exclaimed "I am on my way to Philadelphia!" In the election of 1800 Matthew Lyon cast the deciding vote for Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
after the election went to the House of Representatives because of an electoral tie. Lyon's trial, conviction, and incarceration boosted his status among the fledgling American Republican political elite as something of a free-speech martyr.
Life away from Vermont
Lyon moved to KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
in 1801 and settled in Caldwell County
Caldwell County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2010, there were 12,984 people, with 6,292 households in the county.-Communities:*Bakers*Baldwin Ford*Black Hawk*The Bluff*Cedar Bluff*Claxton*Cobb*Cresswell*Crider*Crowtown*Enon*Farmersville*Flat Rock*Friendship*Fryer...
(now Lyon County
Lyon County, Kentucky
Lyon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 8,080. Its county seat is Eddyville. Created from Caldwell County, Kentucky in 1854, the county was named for former Congressman Chittenden Lyon....
). He became a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
Kentucky House of Representatives
The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a House district, except when necessary to preserve...
in 1802 and was elected to the Eighth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1803 - March 3, 1811). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1810 to the Twelfth Congress.
Lyon was appointed United States factor to the Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It was established in the 20th century, and includes people descended from members of the old Cherokee Nation who relocated voluntarily from the Southeast to Indian Territory and Cherokees who...
in Arkansas Territory
Arkansas Territory
The Territory of Arkansas, initially organized as the Territory of Arkansaw, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1819 until June 15, 1836, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Arkansas.-History:The...
in 1820; and again attempted to serve in Washington, DC when he unsuccessfully contested the election of James W. Bates as a Delegate from the Arkansas Territory
Arkansas Territory
The Territory of Arkansas, initially organized as the Territory of Arkansaw, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1819 until June 15, 1836, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Arkansas.-History:The...
to the Seventeenth Congress. Lyon died in Spadra Bluff, Arkansas, August 1, 1822; interment in Spadra Bluff Cemetery; reinterment in Eddyville Cemetery, Eddyville, Caldwell (now Lyon) County, Ky., in 1833.
Personal life
- Lyon was married twice. Once to one Mary Horsford in 1772, until she died in 1782. Mary was the daughter of Samuel Horsford and Mary Grant. Mary Grant had been previously married to Daniel Allen, the uncle of Ethan AllenEthan AllenEthan Allen was a farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, and American Revolutionary War patriot, hero, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of the U.S...
, until his death. Lyon's second marriage was to one Beulah M. Chittenden, the daughter of Thomas Chittenden, in 1784.
- Matthew Lyon's son James (1776-1824) may have also been indicted by the federal government for violating the Sedition Act, since he was connected with his father and with James Thomson Callender. It is believed he might have fled to evade capture.
- Matthew Lyon's son Chittenden LyonChittenden LyonChittenden Lyon was a United States Representative from Kentucky and the son of Matthew Lyon. He was born in Fair Haven, Vermont and attended the common schools. In 1801, he moved to Kentucky with his parents, who settled in Caldwell County, Kentucky...
(1787–1842) was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1827–1835) from Kentucky.
- Matthew Lyon's son Matthew (1792–1839) was the father of Confederate General Hylan B. LyonHylan B. LyonHylan Benton Lyon was a career officer in the United States Army until the start of the American Civil War, when he resigned rather than fight against the South...
(Feb 22, 1836-April 25, 1907) of Lyon County, Kentucky. Hylan Lyon was the father of Frank Lyon of the USS OregonUSS Oregon (BB-3)USS Oregon was a pre-Dreadnought of the United States Navy. Her construction was authorized on 30 June 1890, and the contract to build her was awarded to Union Iron Works of San Francisco, California on 19 November 1890. Her keel was laid exactly one year later...
.
Sources
- Austin, Aleine. Matthew Lyon: "New Man" of the Democratic Revolution, 1749-1822. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1981;
- Blumberg, Phillip I. Repressive Jurisprudence in the Early American Republic: the First Amendment and the Legacy of English Law. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.
- Bowers, Claude Gernade. Jefferson and Hamilton: the Struggle for Democracy in America,. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1925.
- McLaughlin, J. Fairfax. Matthew Lyon, the Hampden of Congress a Biography. New York: Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford, 1900.
- Miller, John C. The Federalist Era: 1789-1801. New York: Harper & Row, 1963.
- Miller, John C. Crisis in Freedom: the Alien and Sedition Acts. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951.
- Montagno, George L. "Matthew Lyon, Radical Jeffersonian, 1796-1801: A Case Study in Partisan Politics." Ph.D. dissertation, University of California at Berkeley, 1954.