Tilly Lynde

Tilly Lynde
From Souvenir of the Sherburne Centennial Celebration (1893)
Member of the New York Senate
In office November 7, 1820 – January 1, 1826
Senate terms detail In office January 1, 1823 – January 1, 1826 Serving with Samuel G. Hathaway (1823), Farrand Stranahan (1823–1824), Isaac Ogden (1823–1825), Latham A. Burrows (1824–1825), & Stukely Ellsworth (1825) Preceded by District created Succeeded by Peter Hager II Constituency 6th Senate district In office November 7, 1820 – January 1, 1823 Serving with Jabez D. Hammond (1820–1821), John Lounsbery (1820–1821), Moses Austin (1820–1822), William C. Bouck (1820–1822), Charles E. Dudley (1820–1822), John I. Miller (1820–1822), John T. More (1820–1822), William Ross (1820–1822), Abraham J. Hasbrouck (1822), & John L. Viele (1822) Preceded by John Noyes, Peter Swart, & Martin Van Buren Succeeded by District abolished Constituency Middle Senate district
Member of the New York State Assembly from the Chenango County district
In office July 1, 1817 – June 30, 1818 January 1, 1826 – January 1, 1827 January 1, 1828 – January 1, 1829
Assembly terms detail In office January 1, 1828 – January 1, 1829 Serving with Henry Mitchell & Robert Monell Preceded by James Birdsall, Joseph Juliand, & Augustus C. Welch Succeeded by Russell Case, Abel Chandler, & Amos A. Franklin In office January 1, 1826 – January 1, 1827 Serving with Robert Monell & John Tracy Preceded by Russell Case, Charles Medberry, & Robert Monell Succeeded by James Birdsall, Joseph Juliand, & Augustus C. Welch In office July 1, 1817 – June 30, 1818 Serving with Perez Randall & Simon G. Throop Preceded by James Houghteling, Samuel A. Smith, & Ebenezer Wakley Succeeded by Obadiah German, Thomas Humphrey, & Ebenezer Wakley
Personal details
Born	(1782-10-09)October 9, 1782 Brookfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	March 1, 1857(1857-03-01) (aged 74) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn
Party	Democratic-Republican
Spouse	Elizabeth Warner Lynde (died 1871)
Children	Charles James Lynde (b. 1816; died 1841) William Pitt Lynde (b. 1817; died 1885) Watts Sherman Lynde (b. 1819; died 1841) Martius T. Lynde (b. 1825; died 1899)
Relatives	Charles W. Lynde (brother)
Profession	Lawyer

Tilly Lynde (October 9, 1782 – March 1, 1857) was an American merchant, judge, and politician in the U.S. state of New York. He was a member of the New York State Senate (1820–1826) and the State Assembly (1818, 1826, & 1828).

His brother, Charles W. Lynde, also served several years in the New York Legislature. Two of Tilly Lynde's sons, Charles and Watts, died in the 1841 Erie steamship disaster. His eldest surviving son, William Pitt Lynde, became a prominent lawyer and politician in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, and served as mayor of Milwaukee; William Lynde's descendants were also some of the most important businessmen and philanthropists in Milwaukee history.

Tilly Lynde was born in Brookfield, Massachusetts, in October 1782. He moved to Sherburne, New York, in 1802, working as a clerk for the merchant Garret Y. Lansing.¹ 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.¹²

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 as one of three representatives of Chenango County. He was defeated running for re-election in 1818, but was subsequently elected to the New York State Senate in 1820. He served in the 44th and 45th legislatures, the last sessions before the adoption of the 1822 New York Constitution. 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 in 1832, but was defeated.¹

He moved to Cortland, New York, in 1832, and later in life moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he lived with his youngest son. He died in Brooklyn on March 1, 1857.³

Tilly Lynde was one of at least four children of John Lynde and his wife Sarah (née 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, on September 10, 1812.¹ They had four sons. Two of their sons, Charles and Watts, died along with 250 other passengers in the fire aboard the steamboat Erie, en route to Chicago in 1841.

Their eldest surviving son, William Pitt Lynde, moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin Territory, where he became attorney general of the territory, then United States attorney. After Wisconsin achieved statehood, William Pitt Lynde was elected to three terms in the United States House of Representatives, and was elected mayor of Milwaukee in 1860.¹² His grandsons Lynde Bradley and Harry Lynde Bradley became two of the most important businessmen in Milwaukee history, founding the Allen-Bradley Company and the Bradley Foundation. Lynde's descendants are still influential in Wisconsin business, philanthropy, and politics.