Robert Todd Lytle (May 19, 1804 – December 22, 1839) was a politician who represented
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...
from 1833 to 1835.
Early life and career
Lytle was born in
Williamsburg, Ohio
Williamsburg is a village in Clermont County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,490 at the 2010 census.
History
Williamsburg was founded in 1796 by General William Lytle of the prominent Lytle family of Cincinnati. The village was na ...
, a nephew of John Rowan. He attended the uncommon schools and
Cincinnati College
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...
, and studied law in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...
, where he was admitted to the bar in 1824. He commenced the practice of his profession in
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...
.
Married Elizabeth Haines of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
November 30, 1825. They had a son William Haines Lytle, and two daughters, Josephine R., and Elizabeth Haines Lytle.
He was elected county prosecuting attorney, and a member of the State house of representatives in 1828 and 1829.
Congress
He was then elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-third Congress and served from March 4, 1833, until March 10, 1834, when he resigned. He was subsequently reelected to fill the vacancy caused by his own resignation and served from December 27, 1834, to March 3, 1835.
Later career
After running as an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1834 to the Twenty-fourth Congress, Lytle resumed his law practice, focusing principally on real estate law. Lytle was an opponent of free black men and encouraged mob attacks against African Americans in Cincinnati. In 1836 he led rally that encouraged violence against African Americans, stating to the crowd that they should "castrate the men and _________ the women!" He served as
Surveyor General of the Northwest Territory
The Surveyor General of the Northwest Territory was a United States government official responsible for surveying land in the Northwest Territory in the United States late in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The position was cr ...
in 1834–1838, and major general of Ohio Militia in 1838.
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...
on December 22, 1839. He was buried in
Spring Grove Cemetery
Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum () is a nonprofit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the third largest cemetery in the United States, after the Calverton National Cemetery and Abraham ...