His father was an immigrant from Ireland who fought for the Ohio State Militia during the American Civil War.

He was secretary to the Bureau of Awards at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, and served as a manager of the Twin City Gas Company in LaSalle, Illinois.

[1] He moved to California in 1883 and worked for his father's law practice in Benicia before he helped organize the Cucamonga Fruit Land Company of San Bernardino County in 1886.

[1] An active Republican, Lynch represented his party at various state and county conventions.

[2] During his tenure in the state legislature, he was an ex-officio member of the University of California Board of Regents for two years.