DYER
DYER
lieutenant -colonel in IHUO, and resip^ninp; in 1871.
In lyTJ a new militia law was enforced and lie
was placed in command of the combined artillery
of the state. He wa.s a state senator in 1878. and
a representative in the General as-^^embly in 1881.
He wjis elected ad jut;int -general of Rliode Island,
Feb. 7. 188'2. and serveil by re-election until Oct.
31. 1895. when he vohmtarily retired. In 1897 he
was elected j^overnor of Rhode Island, and was
re-elected in 1898 and 1899. He was married to a
daujrhter of Col. William and Marj- Brayton
fAntliony) Viall of Providence, R.I.
DYER, Heman, clerpjman. was Iwm in Siiaftsbury. Vt., Sept. 24, 1810: son of Henry and Samh (Coy> Dyer: jrrandsonof Edward and Eliza- beth (FL^h) Dyer, and a descendant of William and Mary Dyre. William Dyre was one of the eight- een original oNvners of the state of Rhode Island, and his wife was hanged on Boston Common, June 1, 1660, for her Quaker faith. He was grad- uated from Kenyon college, Ohio, in 1833, \ and was later or- dained a Protestant Episcopal clergyman. In 1840 he became l)rincipal of a school in Pittsburg, Pa. , re- signing in 1843 to accept a chair in the Western university of Pennsylvania, of which institution he became president in 1844. In 1849 he removed to Philadelphia, Pa., where he was employed by the American Sunday school union and soon afterward became secretary and general manager of the Evangelical knowledge Sfjcietj' in New York. In 18.54 he was made edi- tor of the Episcopal Qiiarterbj lievieir, and in 1860 declined the bishopric of Kansas. He became a member of the lx)ard of missions in 1868, and in 18"J ) retired from active work. He was married in 1850. to Cornelia Catherine, daughter of Arad Joy. Trinity gave him the degree of D.D. in 1 843. He is the author of: Voice of the Lord upon the Wafers (1870): Rrrnrrl of an Active Life (1886). He difd in New York city. July '.39. 1900.
DYER, Nehemiah Mayo, naval officer, was horn in Provincetown. Ma.s.s., Feb. 19, 1839; son of Henry and Sallie (Mayo) Dyer; grandson of David and Martha (Knowles) Dyer, and of Nehe- miah Doane and Malatiah (Rich) Mayo, and a descendant of the Rev. John Mayo, from Eng- land, who was settled over the old North church, Boston. He entered the volunteer navy, April 4, 1862, as acting master's mate and served in
M J^'^^
that grade in the western gulf squadron until he
was promoted acting ensign ft>r " gallant and meri-
torious conduct " May 18, 1863. He was then
appointed to the command of the EuQcnie, en-
gaged in blockading off Mobile, and in despatch
duty. On Jan. 12, 1864, he was promoted acting
master and on July 19, 1864, was assigned to the
3lf'tacomet, in which
vessel, as a consort
of the Hartford, which
led the attack in the
passage of the forts
and the capture of
the Confederate fleet
in Mobile bay, Aug.
5, 1864, he received in
person the surrender
of the gunboat Selina,
after one shell from
the Metacomet liad
killed nine and
wounded eleven of
the Selina's men. He
was ordered to the Hartford, Fan-agut's flag-ship,
Oct. 28, 1864, and shortly afterward was given
command of the Randolph, with which he co oper-
ated with the forces of General Granger during
the winter of 1864-65, in the operations against
Mobile and Pascagoula, rendering important ser-
vice in this connection in Mississippi sound and
Pascagoula river. On April 1, 1865, his vessel was
sunk by a tori)edo in Blakely river, during the
advance ui^on the defences of Mobile. He was
promoted acting volunteer lieutenant, and upon
the surrender of the Confederate fleet under
Commander Farrand in the Tombigbee river, he
was given command successively of two of the
surrendered vessels, the Black Diamond and the
Morgan. In June, 1865, he was appointed to com-
mand the Elk, and in July was transferred to the
Stockdale and proceeded to 3Iississippi sound to
protect the people along that shore. In Septem-
ber he took command of the Mahaska at Appa-
lachicola, Fla. , and in October was transferred to
the Glasf/oio at Pensacola. In April, 1866, he was
ordered to report to the bureau of navigation at
Washington and remained there on special duty
until May, 1868. On March 12, 1868, he was com-
missioned a lieutenant, and on August 27, joined
the iJarotah at Yalparai.so. He was commissioned
lieutenant-commander, Dec. 28, 1868, and from
September, 1869, to March, 1870, comniandeil the
Cfjane at Sitka, Alaska. He then joined the Pen-
sacola at San Francisco, and was .soon transferred
to the Ossipee with which he cruised to lower
California and Mexico. In September, 1870, he
was ordered to the South Pacific station; was
sent home, Aug. 22, 1871, and in October. 1871,
was assigned to the Charlestown na^•y yard. He
