Background
LYONS, James was born on October 12, 1801 in Hanovertown, Virginia, United States, United States. Son of Dr. James Lyons.
politician member of Virginia State Senate
LYONS, James was born on October 12, 1801 in Hanovertown, Virginia, United States, United States. Son of Dr. James Lyons.
Private school, southern university.
He graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1817 and began his law practice in Richmond in 1818. Lyons, who in 1824 arranged the Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to Virginia, was married to Henningham Watkins and, after her death, to Imogen Bradfute Penn. He had eight children.
A states’ rights Whig, he made an address in 1840 opposing the bank of the United States and the high protective tariff. He served in the House and later the Senate of the Virginia legislature during the 1850s and was considered an ardent secessionist. When the Civil War began, he held various local political offices and supported the Confederate war effort.
In February 1862, he replaced John Tyler who had died, in the first Confederate House of Representatives, where he served until he was defeated for election by William C. Wickham in February 1864. In the House he was a supporter of the Davis administration, and he served on the Buildings and Commerce Committees, as well as on several special committees. In 1864, he favored a tax-in-kind on all agricultural products.
He lost his election campaign despite the support of the Richmond Enquirer, which had applauded his secessionism. Later in 1864, he was appointed a trial judge in charge of handling political prisoners. When the war ended, he returned to his Richmond law practice.
Lyons was closer to President Davis after the war than during it. He assisted in the ex-president’s legal defense. He practiced law in Richmond and died there on December 15, 1882.
"Peculiar institution" of slavery was not only expedient but also ordained by God and upheld in Holy Scripture.
Stands for preserving slavery, states' rights, and political liberty for whites. Every individual state is sovereign, even to the point of secession.
