William Lyman (congressman)

William Lyman (December 7, 1755 – September 22, 1811) was an American politician from Northampton, Massachusetts who served in the United States House of Representatives.

William Lyman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Massachusetts's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1797
Serving with Dwight Foster, Theodore Sedgwick, and Artemas Ward from 1793-1795
(General ticket)
Preceded byBenjamin Goodhue
Succeeded byWilliam Shepard
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office
1789
Personal details
Born(1755-12-07)December 7, 1755
Northampton, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America
DiedSeptember 22, 1811(1811-09-22) (aged 55)
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, U.K.
Resting placeGloucester Cathedral, Gloucester, England.
Political partyAnti-Administration
Spouse(s)Jerusha Welles, d. June 11, 1803 [1]
Alma materYale College[1]

Lyman was born in Northampton in the Province of Massachusetts Bay to Captain William and Jemima (Sheldon) Lyman.[1] He graduated from Yale College in 1776.[1] He was a militia veteran of the American Revolution. During Shays' Rebellion he was an aide to General William Shepard with the rank of major.

In about 1781, Lyman married Jerusha Welles, of East Hartford, Connecticut; they had eight children. Jerusha died at age 43, on June 11, 1803.[1] Lyman served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1787 and in the Massachusetts State Senate in 1789.[1]

Lyman was a candidate for the first congress and ran in the Hampshire Berkshire District as an Anti-Federalist against the Federalist candidate Theodore Sedgwick. Sedgwick was elected. Seventeen towns that were favorable to Lyman were late in sending in their returns; had these towns reported in a timely manner, Lyman would have been elected.[2]

Lyman represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1793 to March 3, 1797.

In 1804 Lyman was appointed U.S. consul in London. He died while on duty in 1811 at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, U.K., and is interred in the Cathedral at Gloucester, England.

  • United States Congress. "William Lyman (id: L000530)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  • William Lyman at Find a Grave

Notes
  1. Dexter, Franklin Bowditch (1903), Biographical sketches of the graduates of Yale college with annals of the College History Vol. III, New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, pp. 619–620
  2. Stephens, Frank Fletcher (1909), The transitional period, 1788-1789, in the government of the United States, Columbia, MO: E. W. Stephens Publishing Company, p. 59
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Benjamin Goodhue		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district
March 4, 1793 - March 3, 1797
alongside: Dwight Foster, Theodore Sedgwick, Artemas Ward on a General ticket (1793-1795)		 Succeeded by
William Shepard
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
 United States Consul to London
January 11, 1805 – September 22, 1811		 Succeeded by


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.