Elisha Dyer

Elisha Dyer (official portrait in the State Capitol)

Elisha Dyer (born July 20, 1811 in Providence , Rhode Island , † May 17, 1890 ) was an American politician and Governor of the state of Rhode Island from 1857 to 1859 .

Early years and political advancement

Elisha Dyer attended Brown University after elementary school . He then took a stake in his father's company, which among other things ran a cotton mill. At the age of 20 he became a partner in this company. From 1840 he was also politically active. That year he became head of the militia ( adjutant general ) of his state. He held this office for five years. He was also involved in the suppression of the uprising initiated by Thomas Dorr , which triggered a serious crisis in Rhode Island between 1842 and 1843. He also served on the Rhode Island School Committee for over ten years.

Governor of Rhode Island and further life

Dyer became a member of the Republican Party and was elected governor of his state as a candidate in 1857. After a re-election in 1858 he was able to exercise this office between May 26, 1857 and May 31, 1859. This period was overshadowed by the discussions leading up to the civil war. During the war he was captain of an infantry unit from Rhode Island. With this unit he was sent to Washington, DC in May 1862 to help defend the city against a possible attack by the Confederate Army under General Stonewall Jackson .

After the war, he became President of the Exchange Bank , second vice-president of the Rhode Island Art Association, and his state's commissioner for the 1871 World's Fair in London . Dyer was also a member of the Rhode Island Historical and Agricultural Society. He died in May 1890. He had seven children with his wife Anna Jones Hoppin, including their son Elisha , who was also to become Governor of Rhode Island between 1897 and 1900.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 4, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Elisha Dyer in the National Governors Association (English)
• Elisha Dyer in the database of Find a Grave (English)