Thomas G. Lytle, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Thomas G. Lytle
THOMAS G. LYTLE.
It is an undeniable truth that the life of any man is of great benefit to the community in which he resides, when all his efforts are directed toward advancing its interests, and who lives according to the highest principles of what he conceives to be right. Such a man is Thomas G. Lytle, ex-Mayor of Valparaiso. For twelve years Mr. Lytle held the office of Mayor of the city, six terms of two years each, and no more capable, popular and efficient officer ever held that position. For years his name has been a familiar one to the people of Porter as well as surrounding counties, and his genial and sincere nature, no less than the responsible position he held so long, has tended to bring about this result. He is a product of the Buckeye State, born in Wayne County, and of German and Scotch descent. His ancestors settled in this country in Colonial days, and his grandfather was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Aaron Lytle, father of our subject, was a native of New Jersey, but when a young man went to Wayne County, Ohio, where he married Miss Hannah Jones. At first he followed the trade of blacksmith, but later in life he became a farmer. To his marriage were born six children, who grew to mature years: Richard; Margaret, who died young; Aaron W., Thomas G., Sallie and Elizabeth. Mr. Lytle became moderately well off and lived to be seventy years of age. He came to Porter County in 1841, settled on Horse Prairie, but moved from there to Valparaiso in 1852, his death occurring two miles north of that city. He was a man of positive character, and took a decided interest in political affairs. At one time he was a candidate for the State Senate. The Whig party to which he belonged being in a minority in his district, he was defeated. He later espoused the principles of the Republican party. Socially, he was an Odd Fellow. Thomas G. Lytle, the original of this notice, was born December 3, 1824, and in the common schools of his day received his scholastic training. When seventeen years of age, he came with his father to Porter County, Indiana, and was here married in 1847 to Miss Idilla Allen, who bore him one child, Alma F. From 1849 to 1852 Mr. Lytle followed farming, and then settled in Valparaiso, where he engaged in the drug business the following year. In the fall of 1854, when the Republican party was first organized, he ran for Sheriff and was elected. He then sold out his drug business and served as Sheriff for four years; then entered the dry goods business in Valparaiso with D. A. Salyer. In the spring of 1864 he organized Company C, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was elected Captain, serving in South Tennessee and North Alabama, and guarding railroads and bridges. In the fall of 1864 he returned to Valparaiso, and resumed merchandising. In 1868 he was elected Mayor of Valparaiso, and held that position until 1872. In 1867, in company with D. A. Salyer and his brother, Richard, he built a paper-mill and ran it for about ten years. In 1880 he was again elected Mayor of the city, and so ably and satisfactorily did he fill this position, that he held it until 1892, with the exception of two years. Fraternally, he is an unaffiliated Odd Fellow. Mr. Lytle's first wife died in the spring of 1861, and in the winter of 1865 Mr. Lytle married Miss Ellen, daughter of Isaac and Mary (Lemmon) Margeson. Mr. and Mrs. Margeson moved from Southern Indiana to Porter County in 1854. Mr. Lytle's last union resulted in the birth of four living children: Effie M., Elma M., Elvan A. and Arthur W. Mr. and Mrs. Lytle are members of the Unitarian Church, and he is a Republican in politics. In 1892 Mr. Lytle moved to a farm of 190 acres, and on this he has since resided. He is a prominent citizen of Valparaiso, and a man whose standard of honor is very high. In 1867 he became interested in a paper mill, and in 1876 in the grocery trade.
Source: Goodspeed Brothers. 1894. Pictorial and Biographical Record of La Porte, Porter, Lake and Starke Counties, Indiana. Chicago, Illinois: Goodspeed Brothers. 569 p.
Page(s) in Source: 412-413
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook