The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-12-12
ABit Of History
By ]. B. LYON
Jacksonville, Fla,
Dec. 9Th, 1919.

Editor Greeneville Sun: -
In "Everybody's History" by Mel
Graham, in recent issue Of The Sun,
| see he cites some instances IN close
Presidential elections, among the
number being that Of Thomas Jeffer-
son and Aaron Burr, In 1901.
jefferson and Burr received the |
same number Of electoral votes, and
1t fell to the lot Of Congress to de-
eide the election. In Congress there
was a tie vote also, which lasted for
three days. Colonel Matthew Lyon,
great-great-grand-fath Of the Ed
itor Of The Sun. who was serving his
second term in Congress from Ver-
mont at the time, and who was a
warm personal friend Of Mr.. Burr, but
more fully in accord with Jefferson,
politically, absented himself from the
halls Of Congress during this time,
with the hope that the matter could
be settled without casting his vote
against Mr.. Burr, his personal friend.
At last, however, he went in and cast
his decisive vote that made jefferson
President.
During his first term in Congress,
Col. Lyon called upon President John
Adams and the President refused him
audience from the fact that Col. Lyon
had on boots. When Col. Lyon cast
the final vote that made Jefferson
President (lnowing of the boot cpl
sode) remarked that his friends would
always be received, with or without
, boots.
j Col. Lyon was quite factor in the
business world as we'll as in politics.
He participated in the Revolutionary
struggle. In July, 1776, he was com
7 missioned Lieutenant in one OF the
: companies Of "Green Mountain
Boys" and later he served as Com
missary General and eventually reach
ed the rank of Colonel Of militia. In
1777 he was appointed Temporary
Paymaster Of the Northern Army,
! and in 1778 Deputy Secretary of Gov
ernor Crittenden, Of Vermont, whose
! daughter (Beulah) he married. AT
the same time he was Clerk OF the
Court of Confiscation. He was elect
ed member Of the Vermont Legis.
Q lature in 1779 and the four successive
a years. In 1888 he founded the towr
of Fair Haven, Vermont, where he
built saw mills, grist mills, establish.
ed an iron boundary, manufactured
8 paper and established paper entitled
! "The Formers Library" He served
:, that town in the Legislature. In
1885 he was Assistant Judge Of Rut'
land county, Vermont. He was elect
ed to Congress by the anti-federa
h party in 1897, which office he tillec
i two terms.
: At the expiration Of his secont
term in Congress from Vermont, he
:. with his family, excepting his eldest
II son, James Lyon, who was at thai
e time residing at Richmond, Va.
y where he was editing paper EMIT
led "The American Magazine") re
moved to Kentucky and settled on tn,
: Cumberland river at which is now Ed
dyville, Col. Lyon being the found
er Of that town. Eddyville is situated
in Lyon county, being named for him
and he was its first Representative il
7, the Legislature after it's organization
it Upon his arrival at his new home
e he set to work building mills ant
! boats and opening up large farm
At that time Eddyville, which is nov
y quite city, was only a cane brake
2 He had a boat yard where he built /
= number Of gun-boats for the govern
, ment, besides many other boats, sucl
!. as keel boats, barges and schooners
He built large schooner, which h
Il prided as being the handsomest on,
y plying the great rivers, which h
d named Beulah Lyon, in honor Of b
= wife.
= He served four terms as Repre-
sentative in Congress from Kentuck!
!" from 1903 to 1871. He established
L the first printing office in Kentucky
is At one time he edited paper EMIT
led "The Scourge of Aristocracy ant
, Depository Of Important Politica
Truths"
In 1920 he was made agent for tn,
q Chicasaw Indians in Arkansas Terri
Is tory, by appointment of Presiden
"a Monroe. He was later elected tn
- first Territorial Delegate to Congress
from Arkansas, but did not live Il
70 take his seat, having died at Spadr
Bluff, Arkansas, Auguct LIST, 1922
aged rs years.
" Some years later his body was re
moved from Arkansas to Eddyville
:" XIV. where it was re-interred in TIL