Francis Strother Lyon

Francis Strother Lyon (February 25, 1800 – December 31, 1882) was an Alabama attorney and politician. He served two terms in the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War after being an antebellum member of the United States Congress.

Family life Lyon was born in Stokes County, North Carolina. His parents, James Lyon and Behetheland Gaines Lyon, owned a large tobacco plantation. They had four other children.

Law and Political Career Lyon moved to Marengo County, Alabama, in 1817 to live with his uncle George Gaines and was admitted to the bar in 1821. Lyon was secretary of the State Senate from 1822 to 1830, and then served in the Alabama State Senate from 1833 to 1834. He represented Alabama's Fifth District in the United States House of Representatives from 1835 to 1839—first as a Republican, then as a Whig. From 1845 to 1853, Lyon served as a commissioner in charge of administering the bankrupt state banking system.