Thomas Lyons was a unionist politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

.

Lyons studied at Albert Agricultural College in Glasnevin

Glasnevin

Glasnevin is a largely residential neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland.-Geography:A mainly residential neighbourhood, it is located on the Northside of the city of Dublin . It was originally established on the northern bank of the River Tolka...

, then emigrated to Australia in 1922. He returned to Ireland in 1939, and was elected for the Ulster Unionist Party

Ulster Unionist Party

The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...

 in North Tyrone

North Tyrone (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)

North Tyrone was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:North Tyrone was a county constituency comprising the northern part of County Tyrone. It was created when the House of Commons Act 1929 introduced first-past-the-post elections throughout Northern Ireland...

 in 1943. At the 1945 UK general election, he stood unsuccessfully in Fermanagh and Tyrone

Fermanagh and Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)

Fermanagh and Tyrone was a Parliamentary Constituency in Northern Ireland which was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...

. He served as Chairman of Ways and Means and Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland House of Commons from 1955 until 1969, when he was deselected by his constituency association and stood down. In 1961, he served as High Sheriff of County Tyrone.