Matthew Lyon | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1811 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Davis |
| Succeeded by | Anthony New |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Vermont's 1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1801 | |
| Preceded by | Israel Smith |
| Succeeded by | Israel Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 14, 1749 near Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | August 1, 1822 (aged 73) Spadra Bluff, Arkansas, U.S. (now Clarksville) |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Horsford Beulah Chittenden |
| Children | 12, including Chittenden |
| Signature | .png){kind=small} |
Matthew Lyon (July 14, 1749 – August 1, 1822) was an Irish-born American printer, farmer, soldier and politician, who served as a United States representative from both Vermont and Kentucky.
Lyon represented Vermont in Congress from 1797 to 1801, and represented Kentucky from 1803 to 1811. His tenure in Congress was tumultuous. He brawled with one Congressman, and was jailed on charges of violating the Sedition Act, winning re-election to Congress from inside his jail cell.
Lyon's trial, conviction, and incarceration boosted his status among the fledgling Democratic-Republican Party as a free-speech martyr.[1]
- ^ Miller 1951, p. 109