Tilly Lynde (October 9, 1782March 1, 1857) was an American merchant, judge, and politician in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

(1820–1826) and the

State Assembly State Assembly is the name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government. Channel Islands States Assembly is the name of the legislature of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The Baili ...

(

1818 Events January–March * January 1 ** Battle of Koregaon: Troops of the British East India Company score a decisive victory over the Maratha Confederacy, Maratha Empire. ** English author Mary Shelley publishes the novel ''Frankenstein ...

1826 Events January–March * January 15 – The French newspaper ''Le Figaro'' begins publication in Paris, initially as a satirical weekly. * January 17 – The Ballantyne printing business in Edinburgh (Scotland) crashes, ruining noveli ...

, &

1828 Events January–March * January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France. * January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organiz ...

), and was the father of U.S. congressman

William Pitt Lynde William Pitt Lynde (December 16, 1817December 18, 1885) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for three terms, representing Milwaukee and southeast Wisconsin in ...

Biography

Tilly Lynde was born in

Brookfield, Massachusetts Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Brookfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. The population was 3,439 at the 2020 census. History Brookfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660 and was offici ...

, in October 1782. He moved to

Sherburne, New York Sherburne is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The population was 4,048 at the 2010 census. The town contains two villages, Sherburne and Earlville. The town is at the northern border of Chenango County. History The area ...

, in 1802, working as a clerk for the merchant Garret Y. Lansing. By December 1804, Lynde had earned enough to start his own general store. By all reports, he was extremely successful in business and within a decade was a prominent and well-known member of the community. He was elected associate judge in 1816 and retired from his merchandise business. The following year, he was elected to the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

as one of three representatives of Chenango County. He was defeated running for re-election in 1818, but was subsequently elected to the

in 1820. He served in the 44th and 45th legislatures, the last sessions before the adoption of the 1822

New York Constitution The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

. Under the new system, he was elected to a three year term in the New York Senate in 1822, representing the 6th State Senate district. He was then elected to two more terms in the Assembly, serving in the 1826 and 1828 sessions. He ran for

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

in 1832, but was defeated. He moved to

Cortland, New York Cortland is a city and the county seat of Cortland County, New York, United States. Known as the Crown City, Cortland is in New York's Southern Tier region. As of 2024, the estimated population of Cortland, New York, is 17,196, reflecting a dec ...

, in 1832, and later in life moved to

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, where he lived with his youngest son. He died in Brooklyn on March 1, 1857.

Personal life and family

Tilly Lynde was one of at least four children of John Lynde and his wife Sarah (' Warner). Tilly's younger brother, Charles W. Lynde, also served in the New York State Senate. Tilly Lynde married Eliza Warner, a school teacher from

Sunderland, Massachusetts Sunderland is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States, part of the Pioneer Valley. The population was 3,663 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Sunderland was first ...

, on September 10, 1812. They had four sons. Two of their sons, Charles and Watts, died along with 250 other passengers in the fire aboard the steamboat ''

Erie Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

'', en route to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1841. Their eldest surviving son,

, moved to

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

, where he became attorney general of the territory, then

United States attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

. After Wisconsin achieved statehood, William Pitt Lynde was elected to three terms in the

, and was elected mayor of Milwaukee in 1860.

Electoral history

New York Assembly (1817, 1818)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 1817 (vote for three) , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 1818 (vote for three)

New York Senate (1820, 1822)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 1820 (vote for three) , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, September 1822 (vote for four)

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lynde, Tilly 1782 births 1857 deaths People from Sherburne, New York Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state senators New York (state) lawyers Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature