James Lyons (October 12, 1801 – December 18, 1882) was a nineteenth century

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bic ...

from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

who also served in the

Confederate Congress The Confederate States Congress was both the Provisional government, provisional and permanent Legislature, legislative assembly of the Confederate States of America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Its actions were for the most part concerned w ...

Early life

Lyons was born in

Hanover County, Virginia Hanover County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,979. Its county seat is Hanover Courthouse. Hanover County is a part of the Greater Richmond Region. History Located in the wester ...

, in 1801, and graduated from the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

in 1819. Pulliam 1901, p. 108

Career

As an adult, Lyons made his law career in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. He was appointed Prosecuting Attorney there, holding that position for ten years. Lyons was a member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

and the

Virginia State Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senate, senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor ...

for many years, and was active in Whig Party politics, often a delegate to Whig National Conventions, and serving as Chairman of the Virginia Whig Party. He authored the Virginia Whig platform of 1840, pledging to oppose a National Bank and protective tariffs. Twice elected to the Virginia state Senate, when he resigned, he was elected to the House of Delegates. Tyler 1915, p. 41 In 1850, Lyons was elected to the

Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 The Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 was an assembly of elected delegates chosen by the voters to write the fundamental law of Virginia. It is known as the Reform Convention because it liberalized Virginia political institutions. Backgro ...

. He was one of six delegates elected from the central Piedmont delegate district made up of his home district of Richmond City, and included Henrico, New Kent and Charles City Counties. At

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

’s campaign for President in 1852, Lyons joined the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, becoming an outspoken advocate of States Rights. His interest in Southern affairs included service as the president of Virginia’s Agricultural Society. At the beginning 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 ...

, the Confederate representative-elect

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president dire ...

died on January 18, 1862, before the Confederate Congress started, and Lyons was elected on February 10, 1862, to the House of Representatives to represent Virginia in his place. Lyons then served the state in the

First Confederate Congress The 1st Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from February 18, 1862, to February 17, 1864, during the first two years of Jefferson Davis's presidency, a ...

from 1862 to 1864.http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/lyons-lytle.html Lyons at the Political Graveyard He also served on President Jefferson Davis' Counsel. During the war Lyons was appointed by the Confederate government as a judge to try political prisoners. Following the reorganization of the Democratic Party of Virginia in 1872, Lyons was elected to be Chairman of the state organization meeting at

Staunton, Virginia Staunton ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities a ...

. The Convention nominated Charles O'Connor for President as a favorite of the Bourbon Democrats, but he declined, and it then nominated Lyons, and he too declined.

Death

James Lyons died on December 18, 1882, in Richmond City, Virginia.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lyons, James Virginia state senators Members of the Confederate House of Representatives from Virginia 19th-century American politicians 1801 births 1882 deaths