Ernest Lyon

Ernest A. Lyon (October 22, 1860 – July 17, 1938) was an Belize-born African-American minister, educator and diplomat.

Early life and education Lyon was born on October 22, 1860, in on the coast of Belize, British Honduras to Emmanuel Lyon and Ann F. Bending. As a child, Lyon attended an English school in Belize. His father died when he was young. In 1880, Lyon attended Straight University. From 1881 to 1883, he attended the Gilbert Seminary while serving as the pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Baldwin, later called Winston. He later earned an A.M. degree in theology from Union Theological Seminary.

As an ardent Republican, Lyon was appointed as an auxiliary member of the Republican National Committee in 1884. That same year he worked as the professor of church history at Morgan College. He remained in this position until his death in 1938. During his tenure, Liberia paid off its World War I debt to the United States.

Lyon was "member committee" for the Negro Historical and Industrial Association which "invited President Woodrow Wilson to deliver address on opening day of 50th anniversary exposition and celebration of emancipation at Fort Lee, Virginia."

Works consulted William Davis Godman, A. H. Dexter Godman, Ines A. Godman. 1893. Gilbert Academy and Agricultural College, Winsted, Louisiana: Sketches and Incidents. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois. 1917. The Crisis, Volumes 15–18 (p. 29). Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston. 1910. The Negro in the New World. John William Leonard, Albert Nelson Marquis (eds). Who's Who in America, Volume 4. The Journal of Negro History. The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume 14. 1910. Accomplished: African American Women in Victorian America, 2014, BIG BYTE BOOKS 1900 United States Federal Census