Lyng was born on June 29, 1918, in
San Francisco, California. He was the son of Edmund John Lyng, the founder of a California agricultural products company, and his wife, Sara Cecilia (McGrath). He graduated from the
University of Notre Dame. He served in the
U.S. Army during
World War II. In the mid-1950s, Lyng went into business and eventually became president of the Ed. J. Lyng Co., a seed and bean processing company. In 1973, Lyng became the President of the
American Meat Institute, serving until 1979. In 1980, Lyng was appointed to
deputy secretary of agriculture, and then
secretary of agriculture under President
Reagan's cabinet, serving from 1986 to 1989. ==Personal life==