William C. Lyon
Encyclopedia
William Cotter Lyon was an American
Republican politician who served as the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
from 1888 to 1890.
Lyon was born July, 1814 at Homer
Medina County, Ohio. His mother died in Michigan
in 1847, and his father was murdered in Putnam County, Ohio
in 1853. He was left at age twelve to care for himself and his younger orphan siblings. He learned the shoemaker's trade, educated himself and sometimes attended the Seville Academy. At outbreak of the Insurrection, he enlisted in the Twenty-third Ohio Regiment
. He served two years as a private before being made a commissioned officer. Thirteen months before the end of the war, he was captured and imprisoned in a POW camp. After release he was made a captain. After the war he returned to the shoe business in Medina County, and moved to Newark
, Licking County
in 1870. In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes
appointed him Postmaster of that city, and he was re-appointed by President Chester A. Arthur
. He resigned with the election of Grover Cleveland
, but it was not accepted until January 1, 1886. In 1884, he purchased the Newark American. In 1887 he was nominated and elected Ohio Lieutenant Governor. He was not re-nominated in 1889
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Republican politician who served as the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment. Before 1852, the president of the Ohio State Senate would serve as acting governor if a vacancy in the governorship...
from 1888 to 1890.
Lyon was born July, 1814 at Homer
Homer, Ohio
Homer is an unincorporated community in northern Burlington Township, Licking County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 43027. It lies along State Route 661 between Granville and Mount Vernon....
Medina County, Ohio. His mother died in 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"....
in 1847, and his father was murdered in Putnam County, Ohio
Putnam County, Ohio
Putnam County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 34,499. The name is in honor of Israel Putnam, who was a hero in the French and Indian War and a general in the American Revolutionary War. Its county seat is...
in 1853. He was left at age twelve to care for himself and his younger orphan siblings. He learned the shoemaker's trade, educated himself and sometimes attended the Seville Academy. At outbreak of the Insurrection, he enlisted in the Twenty-third Ohio Regiment
23rd Ohio Infantry
The 23rd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during much of the American Civil War. It served in the Eastern Theater in a variety of campaigns and battles, and is remembered with a stone memorial on the Antietam National Battlefield not far from Burnside's...
. He served two years as a private before being made a commissioned officer. Thirteen months before the end of the war, he was captured and imprisoned in a POW camp. After release he was made a captain. After the war he returned to the shoe business in Medina County, and moved to Newark
Newark, Ohio
In addition, the remains of a road leading south from the Octagon have been documented and explored. It was first surveyed in the 19th century, when its walls were more apparent. Called the Great Hopewell Road, it may extend to the Hopewell complex at Chillicothe, Ohio...
, Licking County
Licking County, Ohio
Licking County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 166,492. Its county seat is Newark and is named for the salt licks that were in the area....
in 1870. In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
appointed him Postmaster of that city, and he was re-appointed by President Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
. He resigned with the election of Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
, but it was not accepted until January 1, 1886. In 1884, he purchased the Newark American. In 1887 he was nominated and elected Ohio Lieutenant Governor. He was not re-nominated in 1889