Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/94

 LYONS

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part in the siege of Vera Cruz, March 9, 1847, the battle of Cerro Gordo, where his company alone reached the crest of the hill in time to hasten the enemy's retreat ; at Oka Lake, Au- gust 16, at Contreras, August 19, and at

Churubusco, Aug. 20, 1847. He was bre- vet ted captain, Aug- ust 20, for Contreras and Churubusco. He also engaged at Mo- lino del Key, Septem- ber 8, and in the assault and capture of the City of Mex- ico, Sept. 13-14, 1847, where he was wound- ed while fighting in the streets near the Belen Gate. He was in garrison at Fort Hamilton, N.Y., in 1848 ; on frontier duty, and on quartermaster duty at San Diego, 1850-51 ; was promoted cap- tain, June 11, 1851, and was in Kansas, Da- kota, Minnesota and Nebraska, 1853-61. He was commissioned brigadier-general of U.S. volunteers, May 17, 1861, and succeeded Major Hagner in the command of the St. Louis arsenal. On May 6, 1861, the demand was made by the governor of Missouri that the troops should be removed from all stations outside the U.S. arsenal which contained 60,000 stand of arms, but the demand was refused by Captain Lyon and the governor organized Camp Jackson as a rendez- vous for state troops. On May 10, 1861, Captain Lyon with about 5000 troops surrounded this camp and caused its surrender. Later in the day an encounter between the U.S. soldiers and the citizens resulted in the death of several un- armed citizens and the incident caused great excitement in St. Louis. On May 11, General Harney arrived at St. Louis and assumed com- mand, but was recalled May 21, 1861, and Lyon led in the pursuit of Jackson's state troops and overtook and scattered them at Booneville, June 13, 1861. He left Booneville July 3 for Spring- field, Mo., arriving there July 15. Then followed the action at Dug Spring August 2, and on August 7 he led the attack on the state forces at Wilson's Creek, where he was mortally wounded while leading a charge. He bequeathed his entire property, nearly $30,000, to the U.S. government. He is the author of : Political Writings {pxibUshed posthumously, 1862). He died near Wilson's Creek, Mo., Aug. 10, 1861.

LYONS, Albert Brown, chemist, was born in Waimea, Hawaii, April, 1, 1841 ; son of the Rev. Lorenzo and Lucia Garratt (Smith) Lyons and a

descendant of William Lyon, of Middlesex county, England, who came to Roxbury, Mass., in 1635. His parents were missionaries on a station remote from any town and he received his primary education at home. He attended Oahu college, 1857-63, and was graduated at Williams college, Massachusetts, A.B., 1865, A.M., 1868; Univer- sity of Michigan, M.D., 1868. He was professor of chemistry, Detroit Medical college, 1868-80; consulting chemist for Parke, Davis & Co., De- troit, 1881-86 ; and edited the Phai-maceutical Era, 1887. He returned in 1888 to the Hawaiian Islands where he was employed by the govern- ment as expert chemist and by the trustees of Oahu college as professor of chemistry. In 1897 he returned to the United States to accept the position of consulting chemist and secretary of the firm of Nelson, Baker & Co., Detroit, manu- facturing pharmacists. He was made a member of the committee of revision of U.S. Pharmacoepia in 1900. He is the author of : Manual of Phar- maceutical Assaying (1887); Practical Assaying of Drugs and Galenicals (1899); Plant Names, Scientific and Popular (1900).

LYONS, Judson Whitlock, treasury official, was born in Burke county, Ga., Aug. 15, 1858 ; son of slave parents. He attended a night school in Augusta, Ga., 1871-73, and the Augusta institute conducted by the Rev. Dr. Joseph T. Robert, 1872-78. He taught summer schools, 1874-80 ; was a delegate to the Republican national con- vention at Chicago, June 2, 1880 ; internal-re- venue ganger, 1880-82 ; and deputy collector, 1882. In 1883 he studied law with Gibson & Brandt, Augusta, Ga., and he was graduated from How- ard university LL.B. in 1884. He was admitted to practice in all the courts of Georgia in November, 1884 ; and was a lawyer in Augusta, 1884-98, being the first colored man to practice in the state. He was a delegate to the Republican national convention at Minneapolis, June 7, 1892 ; head of the Republican national electoral ticket in Georgia in 1892 and was instrumental in 1896 in increasing the number of judges of the supreme court of Georgia through an amendment to the state constitution. He was a delegate to the Republican national convention at St. Louis, June 16, 1896, where he was elected a member of the Republican national committee to repre- sent Georgia. He was the candidate of the colored Republicans of Augusta for i)ostmaster of the city, 1897-98; and in March, 1898, he was appointed by President McKinley register of the U.S. treasury and took office early in April. He was elected trustee and president of the board of trustees of Haines college, Augusta, Ga., and in 1900 received the honorary degree of A.M. from the Baptist college, Atlanta, Ga., and that of D.C.L. from Shaw university, Raleigh, N.C.