Adrian Lyon was born on July 25, 1869 in Pluckemin, New Jersey. He received his LL.B. from the New York Law School in 1894. Prior to his receiving his degree, he was admitted to the New Jersey Bar. He was superintendent of schools in Perth Amboy, New Jersey from 1894 and 1895 and city attorney from 1895 to 1898. He was a representative in the New Jersey State Assembly in the 1900-1901 session. He became a judge in the Perth Amboy district court in 1901, holding that position until 1909, when he was appointed to Common Pleas Court in Middlesex County, New Jersey. In 1913 he served as referee for U.S. district bankruptcy court from 1913 to 1931, after which time he returned to Common Pleas Court, where he continued until 1945.
Lyon was active in the organizing of the Perth Amboy YMCA in 1912 and was its president from 1912 to 1950. In 1915 he was the president of the New Jersey State Convention. Lyon was also very active in the organizational procedures leading up to the establishment of the National Council in 1924 and its subsequent operations. In the fall of 1920 he was appointed chairman of the Commission on Convention Representation and Rules, which had been established at the International Convention in 1919. When the Commission reported its findings at the 1922 convention, it recommended the calling of a constitutional convention to resolve issues surrounding the relationship of local associations to those at the state and national level. The Committee of Thirty-Three was established, with Lyon as its chairman, to organize the convention. Through the convention, the National Council was established, which had Lyon as its first president and as a member from New Jersey. He also served as chairman of the General Board of the National Council from 1924 to 1934. As a member of these bodies, he contributed to planning and decision making on a number of important issues, including fund-raising during the Depression, the search for John Mott's successor as General Secretary and efforts to keep good relations with the student movement. In Lyon's later years, his efforts to devote time to association work were hindered by his judicial duties and poor health, but he remained a member of the National Council until his death in 1950.
From the guide to the Adrian Lyon papers., 1922-1945., (University of Minnesota. Kautz Family YMCA Archives. [ymca])
