Judson Whitlocke Lyons (1860 - 1924)

Born 15 Aug 1860 in Burke, Georgia, United States

Husband of Jane (Hope) Lyons — married 30 Jan 1890 in Richmond, Georgia, United States

Died 22 Jun 1924 at age 63 in Augusta, Richmond, Georgia, United States

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Biography

Judson Lyons is Notable.

Judson Lyons was the first Black attorney in the state of Georgia and served as the Register of the Treasury.^[1]

Judson Lyons was born into slavery in 1860.^[2][3] He passed away in 1924 of pneumonia.^[4]

Judson was a Social Reformer. While working on a farm during Reconstruction he and another boy taught themselves by reading from textbooks and quizzing each other as they performed their chores. Their method was so successful Lyons was able to enroll in and graduate from high school at Augusta Institute. He then attended Atlanta Baptist College, paying his way with money he earned by teaching African-American women who attended night school. After working for the Internal Revenue Service he attended Howard University Law School, from which he received his law degree in 1884. Lyons was admitted to the bar the same year, becoming Georgia's first African-American attorney. A distinguished orator, he became a leader of Georgia's Republican Party, attending several state and national conventions and also serving as a member of the Republican National Committee. In 1898 he became one of America's highest ranking African-American government leaders when he was appointed Registrar of the Treasury, the official responsible for authenticating currency, bonds and treasury notes. He served until 1906, afterwards becoming President of Augusta's Haines Normal and Industrial Institute, a high school for African Americans which produced several famous faculty members and graduates.

Bio by: Bill McKern

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors Judson Whitlocke Lyons. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. (accessed July 25, 2020).
2. ↑ Ancestry.com. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Year: 1880; Census Place: Augusta, Richmond, Georgia; Roll: 163; Page: 336A; Enumeration District: 099 Ancestry Record 6742 #8960977
3. ↑ Ancestry.com. Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2013. Ancestry Record 4766 #838618
4. ↑ Ancestry.com. Georgia, Deaths Index, 1914-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011. Ancestry Record 2562 #266872