Richard F. Lyon
Encyclopedia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
attorney and jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
before and during the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
.
Family
Lincoln County, Georgia
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia, with the Savannah River forming its northeastern border. Located above the fall line, it is part of the Central Savannah River Area and a member of the CSRA Regional Development Center. The county was created on February 20, 1796. ...
, Lyon married Ruth Esther Knowles on June 17, 1841; they had eight children: Emily, Julia, Kitty, Richard, Lafayette, Roland, John, and William. He is sometimes called Richard F. Lyon Sr., since he had a son Richard F. Lyon Jr. (1850–1906), and a grandson Richard F. Lyon III (1884–1964).
Richard Lyon and his brother John were both talented attorneys in Dougherty County, Georgia
Dougherty County, Georgia
Dougherty County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 96,065. The 2009 Census Estimate shows a population of 95,859. It is included in the Albany, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Lyon owned the house that Gen. Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
took as his headquarters during his occupation of Atlanta, Fulton County
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
, between his Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
and his March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea is the name commonly given to the Savannah Campaign conducted around Georgia from November 15, 1864 to December 21, 1864 by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army in the American Civil War...
in 1864. The current Atlanta City Hall stands on the site of this house.
After the Civil War, Lyon moved his family to Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, Bibb County, Georgia
Bibb County, Georgia
Bibb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 153,887. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 154,709...
, where he lived until his death. His nephew, Thomas R. Lyon, was also a prominent resident of Albany, Georgia
Albany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...
, being active in political and social life.
Political and professional
Baker County, Georgia
Baker County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. , the population is 4,074. The 2007 Census Estimate placed the population at 3,781. The county seat is Newton.Baker County is included in the Albany, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in 1847.
In 1856 Lyon was living in Albany, Dougherty County, Georgia, where he joined the Albany Guards. He was Albany's mayor from 1858 to 1859. From 1872 to 1874 he represented Dougherty County in the state legislature. He served as attorney for the city of Albany, and for the Central of Georgia Railroad
Central of Georgia Railroad
The Central of Georgia Railway started as the Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was constructed to join the Macon and Western Railroad at...
.
He was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia from 1859 to 1865.
Lyon served under Georgia's first chief justice, Joseph Henry Lumpkin
Joseph Henry Lumpkin
Joseph Henry Lumpkin was the first chief justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Education:...
, due to a Georgia law that said "The oldest Judge in commission is the Chief Justice, or President thereof, but without greater powers than his associates." He lost the election for a second six-year term to Dawson A. Walker.
In an 1860 opinion:
- Justice Richard F. Lyon ruled that the duties of the railroad to safeguard slaves were its duties toward passengers rather than freight: "The carrier has not, and can not have, the same absolute control over [a slave] that he has over inanimate matter. ... He is, in fact, a passenger, paid for as a passenger and so treated and held, not only by defendant but by plaintiff."
His local Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
chapter called Lyon "one of the most brilliant lawyers the state has ever produced."