David Patterson Dyer (February 12, 1838 – April 29, 1924) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Education and career

Born on February 12, 1838, in Henry County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, Dyer moved with his parents to Lincoln County,

in 1841 and completed preparatory studies. He attended St. Charles College in Missouri and

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

and was admitted to the bar in March 1859, in

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

, Pike County, Missouri. He entered private practice in Pike County, Missouri from 1859 to 1875. He was prosecutor for the Third Judicial Circuit of Missouri in 1860. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Dyer served as a private in Captain Hardin’s company, Pike County Regiment, Missouri Home Guard, and as lieutenant colonel and colonel in the 49th Missouri Infantry Regiment. He was a member of the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

from 1862 to 1865. He was Secretary of the

Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

in 1866. He was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

in 1868.

Congressional service

Dyer was elected as a Republican from Missouri's 9th congressional district to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

of the

41st United States Congress The 41st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1869, ...

, serving from March 4, 1869 to March 3, 1871. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1870 to the

42nd United States Congress The 42nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1871, ...

Later career

Following his departure from Congress, Dyer resumed private practice in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, Missouri from 1871 to 1902. He was the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the Eastern District of Missouri from 1875 to 1876, and from March 9, 1902 to March 31, 1907. He was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for

Governor of Missouri A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

in 1880.

Federal judicial service

Dyer was nominated by President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

on February 27, 1907, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri vacated by Judge Gustavus A. Finkelnburg. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on March 1, 1907, and received his commission the same day. He assumed senior status on November 3, 1919. His service terminated on April 29, 1924, due to his death in St. Louis. He was interred in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.

Family

Dyer was the uncle of United States Representatives Leonidas C. Dyer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dyer, David Patterson 1838 births 1924 deaths Republican Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri United States district court judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt Union army colonels Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri United States attorneys for the Eastern District of Missouri People from Lincoln County, Missouri People from Pike County, Missouri People from Henry County, Virginia 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives