Caleb Lyon (December 7, 1822 – September 8, 1875) was Governor of

Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. History 1860s The territory w ...

from 1864 to 1865 during the last half of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Biography

Caleb Lyon was the son of Marietta Henrietta Dupont (1788–1869) and Caleb Lyon (1761–1835). In 1841, he married Mary Ann Springsteen. They had a son Caleb (b. 1842) and a daughter Henrietta Frederica (b. 1843). He attended and graduated from the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy (later

Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus ...

), Class of 1841.

Career

In 1847, he was appointed US Consul to Shanghai, but never made it to China – instead he moved to California, and was credited as the designer of the California State Seal adopted in 1849, although the actual design was by

Robert S. Garnett Robert Selden Garnett (December 16, 1819 – July 13, 1861) was a career military officer, serving in the United States Army until the American Civil War, when he became a Confederate States Army brigadier general. He was the first general offi ...

. Lyon was an Independent member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(Lewis Co.) in 1851. He resigned his seat on April 26, and was elected to the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

on May 27, serving during the

74th New York State Legislature The 74th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to July 11, 1851, during the first year of Washington Hunt's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provisi ...

's special session in June/July 1851. Lyon was elected as an Independent to the

33rd United States Congress The 33rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1853, ...

, holding office from March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1855. Appointed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864, as Governor of

, Lyon proved to be extremely unpopular. One journalist wrote he was "a conceited, peculiar man, who made many enemies and misappropriated much of the public funds." During Lyon's administration, the territorial capital was moved from Lewiston to

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's ...

, reputedly because Lyon thought it was better to have the capital in a larger city. Lyon started a diamond-prospecting frenzy when he claimed that a prospector had found a diamond near

Ruby City, Idaho Ruby City is a ghost town in Owyhee County, Idaho, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 ...

. Although hundreds of men staked claims, no genuine diamonds were found as a result. In 1866, an audit showed that Lyon had embezzled $46,418 in federal funds which were intended for the

Nez Perce people The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames, K ...

. He was never convicted on any charges.

Later life and death

After Lyon's governorship ended, he returned to his home in Rossville, Staten Island, New York, where he purchased a home known as "Ross Castle" in 1859. A small collection of Lyon's papers is preserved by the

Staten Island Historical Society Staten Island Historical Society is an organization devoted to the history of Staten Island and its neighboring communities, from the colonial period to the present day. The Society operates and interpreting Historic Richmond Town, the largest and ...

Historic Richmond Town Historic Richmond Town is an authentic town and farm museum complex in the neighborhood of Richmondtown, Staten Island, in New York City. It is located near the geographical center of the island, at the junction of Richmond Road and Arthur Kill ...

in New York, along with various artifacts associated with the Lyon family. He died on September 8, 1875 and is interred at Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, US.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2009-03-26
Objects from Caleb Lyon family in the Staten Island Historical Society Online Collection DatabaseBiographical Directory of the United States Congress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyon, Caleb 1822 births 1875 deaths Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery Norwich University alumni People from Lewis County, New York People from Rossville, Staten Island Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state senators Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People of Idaho in the American Civil War Governors of Idaho Territory New York (state) Independents New York (state) Republicans Independent members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians