John T. Lyle Jr. (May 7, 1835 – April 21, 1907) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

farmer from

Montrose, Wisconsin Montrose is a town in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,134 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Basco, Montrose, and Paoli are located within the town. Geography According to the United States Censu ...

, who served as a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

and as

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of his

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Background

Lyle was born on May 7, 1835, in

Houston, Scotland Houston ( ; sco, Houstoun), is a village in the council area of Renfrewshire and the larger historic county of the same name in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Houston lies within the Gryffe Valley on the banks of the River Gryffe nort ...

, son of John Lyle and Mary Holmes. He was schooled in

Bridge of Weir Bridge of Weir is a village within the Renfrewshire council area and wider historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Lying within the Gryffe Valley, Bridge of Weir owes its name to the historic crossing point tha ...

, and moved to the United States in 1843 with his father and stepmother, who settled in

Springdale, Wisconsin Springdale is a town in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,056 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Klevenville, Mount Vernon, and Riley are located in the town. Geography According to the United State ...

, in 1851. Lyle settled on a 390-acre farm in

sections Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...

6, 17, 18 and 20 of the Town of Montrose in early 1864. On December 20 of the same year, he married Christina Stewart, whose family had come to the United States from Scotland in 1842 or 1843 and been among the pioneer settlers of

Verona, Wisconsin Verona is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, in the United States and is a suburb of Madison. The population was 14,030 at the 2020 census. The city is located ten miles southwest of downtown Madison within the Town of Verona. It is part of the M ...

. Both of them

Presbyterians Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, and they had three children: Margaret, John T., and Catherine.

Political career

Lyle had been a "Lincoln Republican" until 1864, when he became a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. He served as Chairman (similar to Mayor) of Montrose in 1869, 1870, and 1874–1877. In 1872 he ran for the Assembly from the 4th

Dane County Dane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin. The county seat is Madison, which is also the state capital. Dane County is the ...

Assembly district (the Towns of Blue Mounds, Fitchburg,

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, Middleton, Montrose,

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Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also made ...

, Primrose,

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

, Springdale and Verona), losing to

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Hiram Cornwell Hiram Henry Cornwell (sometimes known as Cornwall; November 23, 1828 – July 9, 1916) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Cornwell was born on November 23, 1828. Sources have differed on the exact location. Cornwell later resided in Ve ...

, who received 1,259 votes, against 1,039 for Lyle. In 1877, with the short-lived Reform Party (a

coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

of Democrats,

reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill#The Yorkshire Associati ...

and

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Republicans, and

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formed in 1873, which had secured the election of one

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

and a number of state legislators) in disarray, the incumbent in what was now the 1st Dane County district, Reformer Michael Johnson, did not seek re-election. Lyle was elected with 1,883 votes to 66 for one O. F. Olson, since there was no nominee of any party running against him. He was assigned to the

standing committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

s on state affairs and on

charitable The practice of charity is the voluntary giving of help to those in need, as a humanitarian act, unmotivated by self-interest. There are a number of philosophies about charity, often associated with religion. Etymology The word ''charity'' ori ...

and

penal Penal is a town in south Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago. It lies south of San Fernando, Princes Town, and Debe, and north of Moruga, Morne Diablo and Siparia. It was originally a rice- and cocoa-producing area but is now a rapidly expanding and de ...

institutions. He did not run for re-election in 1878, and was succeeded by fellow Democrat Matthias Theisen.

Later years

From April 29, 1892, to December 15, 1900, a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

was kept on Lyle's farm; while there was no settlement there, there was a Lyle School, and the Lyle name was sometimes used as part of a geographical description in

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

s. As late as 1896, a John Lyle is listed as a member of the Dane County Board from Montrose (town chairmen were ''ex officio'' members of the county board), but it is impossible to tell whether this is the Scottish-born Lyle or his son of the same name. Likewise, one "John Lyle" is listed as running the Lyle Cheese Factory, and being on the board of the Citizens' State Bank, in nearby Belleville, from 1900 to 1908. This was his son John T. Lyle (1868–1959) because Lyle died on April 21, 1907, in Montrose"Wisconsin, Death Records, 1867-1907," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XLFV-QM2 : 10 March 2018), Christiana Lyle in entry for Jno. Lyle, 1907; citing Death, Montrose, Dane, Wisconsin, Wisconsin State Historical Society, Madison; FHL microfilm 1,310,178. or in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. Lyle is buried in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyle, John 1835 births 1907 deaths People from Renfrewshire Scottish emigrants to the United States People from Montrose, Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Mayors of places in Wisconsin Farmers from Wisconsin 19th-century American politicians