Leviticus Lyon Papers

Leviticus Lyon was born on May 29, 1894 in San Francisco, California and spent most of his childhood in Oakland, California. He was born to Elizabeth Garland Lyon and Giraldo Gomez Lyon. Lyon's mother was born in the West Indies (Saint Kitts and Nevis) while his father was born in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. His father was likely a steward, as his employment in the United States 1900 census is listed as "Stewart" and he frequently discussed life on ships in letters to his son. According to Giraldo Gomez Lyon's personal writings, he immigrated to the United States in 1880 from West Africa and married Elizabeth Garland in 1888. As a teenager, Leviticus Lyon held many jobs including elevator operator at the United States Customs Service in San Francisco, California. Lyon demonstrated his singing talent to officials in the customs department who in turn used their influence to transfer Lyon to work at the New York Customs office in 1919 to assist him in pursuing his musical education. He eventually received a fellowship to study at the Julliard School in 1925. In the course of his career, Lyon became a prominent tenor and choral director, giving performances at Carnegie Hall and St. Marks Methodist Church in Harlem, New York City. Lyon also took leadership positions in New York's music scene, assisting in the formation of the Negro Symphony Orchestra and chairing the Westchester Negro Choral Union. He lived chiefly in New York City until his death in 1958.