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24601

(4,109 posts)

9. I believe the First President to jail an opponent was John Adams, the opponent was US Rep (Vermont 1st) Matthew Lyon

Reply to Exp (Reply #4)

Sun Sep 14, 2025, 11:49 AM

Sunday

"Lyon also has the distinction of being the only person to be elected to Congress while in jail. On October 10, 1798, he was found guilty of violating the Alien and Sedition Acts, which prohibited malicious writing about the American government as a whole, or of the houses of Congress, or of the president. During the Quasi War with France, Lyon was the first person to be put to trial for violating the acts after he published editorials criticizing Federalist President John Adams."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Lyon

Lyon subsequently represented Kentucky's 1st district from 1803 - 1811

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