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Theodore Lyman (militiaman)
Encyclopedia
Theodore Lyman II was an American
philanthropist
, politician
, and author, born in Boston, the son of Theodore Lyman and Lydia Pickering Williams. He graduated at Harvard
in 1810, visited Europe
(1812-14), studied law, and with Edward Everett
, revisited Europe in 1817-19. From 1819 to 1822 he was aid-de-camp to the Governor of Massachusetts
and became brigadier general of militia in 1823, from 1820 to 1825 he served in the State Legislature
,
candidate, and was elected the first Democratic
Mayor of Boston. He served for two years from January 1834 through January 1836. Lyman was such a popular Mayor that when he ran for reelection he was nominated by the Whigs
.
s, and in August, 1835, presided over a pro-slavery meeting in Boston; though a few weeks later, during an anti-Abolitionist riot
, he rescued William Lloyd Garrison
from the mob
and confined him to jail to save his life.
He was a liberal benefactor of the State Horticultural Society
and of the Farm School and was the founder of the Lyman School for Boys
, a reform school
to which, altogether, he gave $72,000.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
philanthropist
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
, politician
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, and author, born in Boston, the son of Theodore Lyman and Lydia Pickering Williams. He graduated at Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1810, visited Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(1812-14), studied law, and with Edward Everett
Edward Everett
Edward Everett was an American politician and educator from Massachusetts. Everett, a Whig, served as U.S. Representative, and U.S. Senator, the 15th Governor of Massachusetts, Minister to Great Britain, and United States Secretary of State...
, revisited Europe in 1817-19. From 1819 to 1822 he was aid-de-camp to the Governor of Massachusetts
John Brooks
John Brooks was the 11th Governor of Massachusetts from 1816 to 1823; he was the last significant Federalist elected official in office in the United States....
and became brigadier general of militia in 1823, from 1820 to 1825 he served in the State Legislature
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
,
Mayor of Boston
In 1833 Lyman defeated William Sullivan, the WhigWhig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
candidate, and was elected the first Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Mayor of Boston. He served for two years from January 1834 through January 1836. Lyman was such a popular Mayor that when he ran for reelection he was nominated by the Whigs
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
.
Abolitionist
He was a steadfast opponent of the radical AbolitionistAbolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
s, and in August, 1835, presided over a pro-slavery meeting in Boston; though a few weeks later, during an anti-Abolitionist riot
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
, he rescued William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He is best known as the editor of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, and as one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society, he promoted "immediate emancipation" of slaves in the United...
from the mob
Mobbing
Mobbing in the context of human beings either means bullying of an individual by a group in any context. Identified as emotional abuse in the workplace, such as "ganging up" by co-workers, subordinates or superiors, to force someone out of the workplace through rumor, innuendo, intimidation,...
and confined him to jail to save his life.
He was a liberal benefactor of the State Horticultural Society
Massachusetts Horticultural Society
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, sometimes abbreviated to MassHort, is an American horticultural society based in Massachusetts. It describes itself as the oldest, formally-organized horticultural institution in the United States...
and of the Farm School and was the founder of the Lyman School for Boys
Lyman School for Boys
The Lyman School for Boys was established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts about 1886 and was closed in 1971. It was the first reform school, or training school in the United States, replacing the State Reform School near the same site, which was opened in 1846...
, a reform school
Reform school
A reform school in the United States was a term used to define, often somewhat euphemistically, what was often essentially a penal institution for boys, generally teenagers.-History:...
to which, altogether, he gave $72,000.
Writings
Lyman published:- Three Weeks in Paris (1814)
- The Political State of ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(1820) - Account of the Hartford ConventionHartford ConventionThe Hartford Convention was an event spanning from December 15, 1814–January 4, 1815 in the United States during the War of 1812 in which New England's opposition to the war reached the point where secession from the United States was discussed...
(1823); in which he defended those who were concerned in that convention as an expression of harbored hatred for both Presidents, John Adams and J.Q. Adams. (SEE Essex JuntoEssex JuntoThe Essex Junto was a group of lawyers and merchants from Essex County, Massachusetts. These Federalists supported Alexander Hamilton and the Massachusetts radicals. When Hamilton was offered a place in the plot to secede New England from the Union, he denied the offer. Consequently, the Essex...
) - The Diplomacy of the United States with Foreign Nations (1828); a work which is still valuable for the period covered.