{{short description|American politician (1931–2007)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Tom Lyons | image = Thomas G. Lyons circa 1971 (1).jpg | alt = | caption = Lyons, circa 1971 | birth_date = {{birth date|1931|05|24}} | birth_place = Chicago, Illinois | death_date = {{death date and age|2007|01|12|1931|05|24}} | death_place = Chicago, Illinois | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | birth_name = | office = Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party | predecessor = George Dunne | successor = Joseph Berrios | term_start = 1990 | term_end = 2007 | state_senate1 = Illinois | term_start1 = 1971 | term_end1 = 1973 | predecessor1 = Walter Duda | successor1 = Howard W. Carroll | constituency1 = 15th district | constituency2 = 10th district | term_start2 = 1965 | term_end2 = 1967 | predecessor2 = Seymour Fox | successor2 = {{nowrap|Esther Saperstein (redistricted)}} <!-- personal --> | party = Democratic | other_party = <!--For additional political affiliations--> | spouse = Ruth Tobin | partner = <!--For those with a domestic partner and not married--> | relations = | children = Four | alma_mater = Loyola University<br>Loyola Law School | occupation = | profession = Attorney<br>Politician | committees = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = | footnotes = <!-- militaryservice --> | allegiance = {{flag|United States}} | branch = {{flag|United States Army}} | service_years = 1954–1957 | rank = | unit = }} '''Thomas G. Lyons''' (May 24, 1931 – January 12, 2007) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party active in Chicago.
==Biography== Lyons was born May 24, 1931, on the northwest side of Chicago. He attended Our Lady of Victory Grammar School and Campion High School. He attended college at Loyola University and earned a law degree from Loyola Law School. Lyons served in the United States Army Rangers 1954 through 1956. As of 1964, he was a Captain in the United States Army Reserve. Lyons joined the Chicago Police Department as a patrolman in 1953 and resigned in 1957 upon his admission to the Bar. During his legal career, he served as Chief of the Law Division of Cook County Assessor's Office, and chief of three departments in the Office of Attorney General of Illinois, and as a partner at O'Keefe, Ashenden, O'Brien, Hanson, Lyons & Associates.<ref name="Illinois Blue Book 1965-66"/><ref name="Illinois Blue Book 1971-72"/> In 1958, Lyons married Ruth Tobin in Mitchell, South Dakota.<ref name="Illinois Blue Book 1965-66">{{cite book|editor-last=Powell|editor-first=Paul|url=http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/ref/collection/bb/id/16489|title=Illinois Blue Book 1965–1966|page=160|year=1965|publisher=Illinois Secretary of State|location=Springfield, Illinois}}</ref>
===Illinois Senate=== In 1964, Lyons was elected to the Illinois Senate from the 10th district defeating Republican candidate Elroy C. Sandquist Jr.<ref name="Illinois Blue Book 1965-66"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Howard|first=Robert|title=G.O.P. Holds Illinois Senate: House Majority Expected for Democrats|date=November 4, 1964|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|page=5|id={{ProQuest| }} }}</ref> He was chosen the best new member of the Illinois Senate in 1965 and selected by Rutgers University as an outstanding young legislator in 1966. Served as chairman of the Illinois Constitution Study Commission and Secretary of the Governor's Revenue Study Committee. Lyons lost re-election in 1966, in part for his support for a statewide fair housing laws, similar to what would become Titles VIII through IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1968.<ref name="Durbin Speech">{{cite web|last=Durbin|first=Richard|title=Remembering Thomas G. Lyons|work=Congressional Record|date=January 16, 2007|accessdate=April 23, 2020|url=https://www.congress.gov/crec/2007/01/16/CREC-2007-01-16-pt1-PgS550-3.pdf}}</ref>
Lyons was elected as a delegate to the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention of 1969-1970, and was unanimously elected to be a Vice President of the Convention.<ref name="Illinois Blue Book 1971-72"/> Lyons was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1970 from the 15th district and served another term in the Illinois Senate.<ref name="Illinois Blue Book 1971-72">{{cite book|editor-last=Lewis Jr.|editor-first=John W.|url=http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/ref/collection/bb/id/34234|title=Illinois Blue Book 1971–1972|page=144|year=1971|publisher=Illinois Secretary of State|location=Springfield, Illinois}}</ref> Lyons left the Illinois Senate to run for Illinois Attorney General; losing to incumbent William J. Scott. Howard W. Carroll, a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, defeated former State Senator Walter Duda's comeback bid.<ref>{{cite news|last=Elmer|first=John|title=Dependent on Large Nixon Plurality: G.O.P. Likely to Win General Assembly|date=November 7, 1972|page=14|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|id={{ProQuest| }} <!--ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago Tribune Found Via Chicago Public Library-->}}</ref>
===Post-Senate career=== In 1968, Lyons was elected to the position of Democratic committeeman for the 45th ward,<ref>{{cite book|last=Fremon|first=David K.|page=302|date=October 22, 1988|accessdate=March 13, 2017|title=Chicago Politics Ward by Ward|url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0253204909|location=Bloomington, Indiana|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=0-253-31344-9}}</ref> and from 1990 until his death he served as Chair of the Cook County Democratic Party from 1990 to 2007 and as 45th Ward Democratic committeeman for many years. President Bill Clinton appointed Lyons to the American Battle Monuments Commission.
===Death=== Lyons died on January 13, 2007 at the age of 66.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Pearson|first1=Rick|last2=Sheehan|first2=Charles|title=Thomas G. Lyons: 1931 – 2007|date=January 14, 2007|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=April 23, 2020|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2007/01/14/thomas-g-lyons-1931-2007/}}</ref> He was succeeded as Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party by Joe Berrios.<ref>{{cite news|title=Democrats elect a new chief; County party names 1st Hispanic leader|date=February 2, 2007|first=Mickey|last=Ciokajlo|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2007/02/02/democrats-elect-a-new-chief/|access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}} {{S-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Francis S. Lorenz}} {{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Illinois |years=1972}} {{s-aft|after=Cecil A. Partee}} {{Succession box |title = Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party |years = 1990–2007 |before = George Dunne |after = Joseph Berrios }} {{Succession box |title = Member of the Illinois Senate from the 15th district |years = 1971–1973 |before = Walter Duda |after = Howard W. Carroll }} {{Succession box |title = Member of the Illinois Senate from the 10th district |years = 1965–1967 |before = Seymour Fox |after = Esther Saperstein (redistricted) }} {{S-end}} {{Cook County Democratic Party chairs|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyons, Thomas G.}} Category:1931 births Category:2007 deaths Category:Chicago Police Department officers Category:Democratic Party Illinois state senators Category:Loyola University Chicago alumni Category:Loyola University Chicago School of Law alumni Category:Politicians from Chicago Category:United States Army reservists Category:United States Army Rangers Category:United States Army officers Category:Military personnel from Illinois Category:Members of Illinois constitutional conventions Category:20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly Category:Cook County Democratic Party chairs