Elisha Dyer was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician and the 25th Governor of Rhode Island.

Early life

Dyer was born in Providence, Rhode Island

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

 on July 20, 1811. He graduated from Brown University

Brown University

Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

. After completing his studies, he worked in his father’s mercantile business.

Political career

He was a Republican. In 1840, Dyer was elected Adjutant General of Rhode Island. He held that position for five years. He then served on the Providence School Committee for over a decade. He was the governor of Rhode Island from May 26, 1857 to May 31, 1859. After his administration, Dyer captained a company of Rhode Island volunteers for the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. He was appointed Rhode Island’s commissioner to the International Exhibition at London in 1871. He also was President and Director of the Exchange Bank, Second Vice President of the Rhode Island Art Association, and a member of the United States Agricultural Society and the Rhode Island Historical Society

Rhode Island Historical Society

The Rhode Island Historical Society is a privately endowed membership organization, founded in 1822, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the history of Rhode Island...

. He was also an active member of the Freemasons.http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/RI/masons.html He died on May 17, 1890.

Dyer's son, Elisha Dyer, Jr.

Elisha Dyer, Jr.

Elisha Dyer, Jr. was a Rhode Island politician who was 45th Governor of Rhode Island from 1897 to 1900. He was the son of Elisha Dyer, Governor of Rhode Island from 1857 to 1859....

, was Governor of Rhode Island from 1897-1900.

Sources

• Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978. Greenwood Press, 1988. ISBN 0-313-28093-2