Henry S. Geyer

Who was Henry S. Geyer?

Henry Sheffie Geyer was a politician, lawyer, and soldier from Missouri. Born in Frederick, Maryland, he was instructed privately, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1811 and practiced law in Frederick. During the War of 1812 he served as a first lieutenant in the Thirty-sixth Regiment, Maryland Infantry from 1813 to 1815; in the latter year he settled in St. Louis, Missouri and resumed the practice of law. He was a member of the Territorial assembly in 1818 and a delegate to the constitutional convention in 1820. From 1820 to 1824 he was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives and again in 1834-1835, serving as speaker on two occasions. He authored the Geyer Act of 1839 establishing public education in Missouri as well as the University of Missouri.

Geyer was elected as a Whig to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1851, to March 4, 1857; he was not a candidate for reelection and resumed the practice of law in St. Louis. He was attorney for the defendant slave-owner in the Dred Scott case.

Geyer died in St. Louis in 1859; interment was in Bellefontaine Cemetery. Geyer Road in St. Louis is named in his honor.