Born in New York in 1827, Lynch was educated at Dehli Institute where he was a classmate of General Edward Bragg, later a prominent Democrat in Wisconsin. After publishing a paper in Dehli, New York, Lynch moved to Brandon, Wisconsin. He attended the March 20, 1854 school house meeting, and recalled, in writing, his encounter with Bovay before the meeting. Bovay told him, “we’re going to organize our party.” During the meeting, Lynch suggested naming the party “democrat-republican” but Bovay knew the party must be called Republican, and won out.