LYON, MATTHEW, 1746-1822; b. -Wicklow co., Ireland; emigrated to New. York in 1755; unable to pay for his passage he was committed by the captain, according to the custom of the time, to a farmer in Connecticut, with whom he served several years; subsequently removed to Vermont; became, 1775, lieut. in a company of "Green Moun tain Boys;" was cashiered the latter part of the year for deserting, Ins post; was in 1777 temporary paymaster of the northern army; subsequently comtnissary-general and col. of militia; founded the town of Fairfield, Vt., in 17'83; built saw-mills and grist-mills, established a forge, made paper from basswood, established and edited a paper called The Scourge of Aristocracy and Repository of Important Political Truth, the types and paper of which NITI'C made by himself. He was ten years a member of the legislature, and in 1786 judge of Rutland co. court; became a zealot's politician, and was elected to
congress by the anti-federal party, 1797-1801; was convicted in 1798 of libel on president Adams. iinprisoned four months in the -Vergennes jail and fined $1000, which was paid by his friends. An attempt to expel him from congress as a convicted felon failed. While in congress lie had a violent personal encounter with Roswell Griswold of Con- . necticut. After the expiration of his term as representative lie removed in 1801 to Kentucky; was elected to the legislature, and to congress in 1803-11; built gunboats on speculation for the war of 1812, and became bankrupt; was appointed by president Monroe in 1820 U.S. factor for the Cherokee Indians in Arkansas, and elected territorial deler,,ate to congress a short time before his death.