Richard F. Lyons, Sr. Biography


	This biography appears on pages 158-159 in "History of Dakota Territory" 
	by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm


			RICHARD F. LYONS, SR. 

	Richard F. Lyons, Sr., of Vermillion, is one of the well known 
citizens of Clay county. Ho was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, on the 
15th of August, 1848, a son of Jeremiah and Ellen (Whalen) Lyons, both 
natives of Ireland. The parents emigrated to America in 1846 and 
settled in the state of New York. In 1849 the family removed to Chicago 
and the father was a teaming contractor in the little city upon Lake 
Michigan which was just emerging from villagehood. In 1867 a removal 
was made to Winneshiek county, Iowa, and there the father engaged in 
farming until 1884, when he came to South Dakota and settled in 
Madison, where he died in 1894, having survived his wife since 1889. 
Their family numbered ten children: Margaret, the deceased wife of T. 
M. King, of Chicago; Bridget, the wife of John Rei, of Madison, South 
Dakota, who arrived in this state in 1878; Richard F.; Dennis A., of 
Cresco, Iowa, who for thirty years was engaged in the implement 
business and for eight years was a member of the Iowa senate but who is 
now living retired; Ellen, the deceased wife of James Coughlin, who was 
associated with our subject in the grain and mercantile business at 
Carthage, South Dakota, but who is now living retired; Jeremiah J., 
deceased, who in 1878 removed to South Dakota and farmed in Lake county 
until his death in 1893; Mary, who died in 1878; Elizabeth, the wife of 
P. S. Finley, a farmer residing near Carthage, South Dakota; William 
F., who came to South Dakota in 1882 and for a number of years engaged 
in farming in Lake county but is now a resident of Cbarles Mix county; 
and Catherine, the wife of Morris Herrington, of Lake county. 

	Richard F. Lyons, Sr., grew to manhood in Chicago and attended 
public schools there until he was a youth of eighteen years, when he 
accompanied his parents to Iowa. He remained upon his father's farm for 
three years and then engaged in the grain and live stock business upon 
his own account after working for others for two years. He continued to 
deal in grain and live stock in Iowa until May, 1878, when he came to 
South Dakota, and entered a homestead and timber claim in Lake county. 
Later he took up a preemption claim, upon which he proved up, commuting 
the homestead. He then returned to Iowa and reentered the grain and 
livestock business, in which he continued in that state until 1883. On 
again coming to South Dakota he engaged in the general merchandise and 
grain business at Carthage in partnership with James Coughlin. In 1903 
Mr. Lyons retired from active life and removed to Vermillion, where he 
is now living. In addition to his store he had other interests, as he 
owned considerable farm land and raised high grade live stock, making a 
specialty of horses. He also dealt to some extent in real estate. He 
still owns land near Calthage and retains an interest in the grain 
business at that place. 

	Mr. Lyons was married in June, 1874, to Miss Jennie Shea, a 
native of Wisconsin and a daughter of Jeremiah and Katherine (Donlan) 
Shea, who were born in Ireland. The father, who was a farmer by 
occupation, settled in the state of New York after emigrating to this 
country but subsequently removed to Eagle Grove, Wisconsin. In 1868 he 
went with his family to Iowa, where both he and his wife passed away. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Lyons were born three children: Nellie C., the wife of 
Frank Smith, who was for a time cashier of the Bank of Carthage but is 
now an implement dealer of Walla Walla, Washington; Mary L., a business 
woman of Los Angeles; and Jennie, the wife of Earl Maloney, of Madison, 
South Dakota. The wife and mother passed to her reward in October, 
1879. 

	On the 26th of June, 1882, Mr. Lyons was again married, Miss 
Sarah A. Donlan becoming his wife. She is a daughter of Thomas and 
Catherine (Begley) Donlan, natives of Ireland and England respectively. 
To the second union the following children have been born: Thomas D., a 
graduate of Notre Dame University and also of the law department of the 
University of South Dakota, who is now an attorney of Tulsa, Oklahoma; 
Jeremiah J., a grain merchant of Carthage, this state; Richard F., a 
graduate of both the academic and law departments of the University of 
South Dakota, who is engaged in the practice of his profession and is a 
member of the state investigating committee; Sarah A., principal of the 
high school of Vermilion, and a graduate of the University of South 
Dakota; Alice, who died at the age of seventeen years while a student 
in the State University of South Dakota; James A., who was graduated 
from the law department of the State University and who is practicing 
law in Sioux Falls in connection with his brother Richard F., the firm 
being Lyons & Lyons; Josephine, an alumna of the State University and a 
teacher of commercial subjects in that institution; Margaret, now 
attending the State University; Robert D., also a student in the State 
University; William. attending high school in Vermilion; and Dennis A., 
in the public schools. 

	Mr. Lyons is a democrat and was a member of the constitutional 
convention of 1889 which framed the organic law of the state. From 1908 
to 1912 he was chairman of the state democratic committee and labored 
efficiently to secure the success of his party at the polls. Although 
he has been a leader in political circles in the state, he has never 
desired office for himself. He is a communicant of the Catholic church 
and fraternally is a member of the Knights of Columbus, belonging to 
the Sioux Falls Council. He was one of the first to buy stock in the 
First National Life Insurance Company of Pierre, South Dakota, and is 
at present upon its board of directors. In former years he labored 
earnestly not only for his own advancement but for the public welfare 
and is now entithed to a time of leisure and freedom from care. 
However, he still gives his support to all public measures of value and 
takes a keen interest in everything relating to the general welfare.