- Caleb Lyon
Infobox_Officeholder
name=Caleb Derk Lyon
office=2nd Governor ofIdaho Territory
term_start=1864
term_end=1865
predecessor=William H. Wallace
successor=David W. Ballard
office2=Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 23rd district
term_start2=March 4 ,1853
term_end2=March 3 ,1855
predecessor2=Leander Babcock
successor2=William A. Gilbert
date of birth=December 7 ,1822
place of birth=Greig,New York
dead = dead
date of death=death date and age|1875|9|8|1822|12|7
place of death=Rossville, Staten Island ,New York
residence=
spouse=
profession=
religion=
party=Independent (1850s), Republican (1860s)|Caleb Dell Lyon (
December 7 ,1822 inGreig, New York –September 8 ,1875 in Staten Island, New York) was governor ofIdaho Territory from 1864 to 1865 during the last half of theAmerican Civil War . [ [http://www.infoplease.com/biography/us/congress/lyon-caleb.html infoplease.com - Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present] ]In 1847 he was appointed US
Consul toShanghai , but never made it toChina - instead he moved toCalifornia , and was credited as the designer of the California State Seal adopted in 1849, although the actual design was byRobert S. Garnett . [ [http://capitolmuseum.ca.gov/virtualtours/capitol/html/links/link47.html California State Capitol Museum: Great Seal of California] ]As territorial Governor, Lyon proved to be extremely unpopular. One journalist wrote he was "a conceited, peculiar man, who made many enemies and misappropriated much of the public funds." During Lyon's administration, the territorial capital was moved from Lewiston to Boise, reputedly because Lyon thought it was better to have the capital in a larger city.
Lyon started a diamond-prospecting frenzy when he claimed that a prospector had found a diamond near
Ruby City, Idaho . Although hundreds of men staked claims, no genuine diamonds were found as a result. [Dan Plazak - "A Hole in the Ground with a Liar at the Top" (2006) ISBN 978-0-87480-840-7]Lyon served a single term in the
United States House of Representatives from 1853 to 1855, representing New York as an independent.References
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