Representative Orlo Henry Lyon View All Years

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Orlo Henry Lyon

Floyd County

Born at Woodstock, Connecticut, January 20, 1835, and was the son of Asa Lyon and Sarah Ann Skinner. He remained with his father on the farm until he was 14 years of age, attending the Academies at South Woodstock, Connecticut and Dudley, Massachusetts. He was a teacher in the public schools at 16, and then entered a store at Thompson, Connecticut, and clerked until February 1856, when he came to Cedar Falls, working in a store there and in August 1857, came to Rockford which remained his home up to the time of his death. He was married April 23, 1867, to Belle A. Bradford of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In August 1861, Mr. Lyon enlisted as a private in the 3rd Iowa Battery of light artillery, and by a well merited series of promotions, left the service four years later as its commanding officer. In 1857 with J. Childs he ran a general store, was postmaster for several years and publisher of the Rockford paper. In 1871 in company with R.C. Mathews he conducted a private bank, and in 1882 with some business associates organized the First National bank of this place, of which he was president for a period of 19 years. Mr. Lyon was a life long Republican, and during the stormy day when the people of Iowa were fighting the liquor traffic, he was a staunch and uncompromising prohibitionist. He always took an active and intelligent interest in the educational and political affairs of his town, state and country. He was the first Mayor of Rockford, a position which he held for four years. In 1877 he was elected Representative from this district serving in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth General Assemblies during which time he originated and saw passed into law some of the most important legislation pertaining to the banking interests now upon our statute books. He was also a delegate the National Republican Convention in 1884. During his life he was an active and valued-member of the G A. R. post at this place, which was the only fraternal organization to which he ever belonged.

House District 69