Representative Herbert Alton Meyer

Herbert Alton Meyer (August 30, 1886 – October 2, 1950) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas who served from 1947 until his death in 1950. Over the course of two terms in Congress, he represented his Kansas constituents during a significant period in American history immediately following the Second World War and the beginning of the Cold War, contributing to the legislative process as a member of the House of Representatives.

Meyer was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, on August 30, 1886. During his childhood his family moved to Washington, D.C., where he attended the public grade schools. He subsequently enrolled at Staunton Military Academy in Staunton, Virginia, attending from 1900 to 1904. His early education in the nation’s capital and at a military academy provided him with exposure to both public affairs and disciplined training that would shape his later professional and public service career.

After completing his preparatory education, Meyer pursued higher education in Washington, D.C. He attended George Washington University from 1905 to 1908, and then studied law at National University Law School, also in Washington. He was graduated from National University Law School in 1910 and was admitted to the bar that same year. Although he qualified as an attorney, his subsequent career would be centered more on public administration, business, and publishing than on the active practice of law.

Meyer entered federal service before the United States’ entry into World War I. From 1915 to 1917 he served as assistant to the Secretary of the Interior, working within the Department of the Interior during a period of expanding federal responsibilities. With the onset of American involvement in World War I, he joined the military and served in the United States Army Air Service, attaining the rank of captain. His wartime service in the Air Service placed him among the early generation of American military aviation officers at a time when air power was emerging as a critical component of national defense.

Following the war, Meyer turned to the private sector. From 1919 to 1937 he was an executive of an oil marketing company, participating in an industry that was central to the nation’s economic growth and to the development of modern transportation and energy infrastructure in the interwar years. In 1940 he entered the field of journalism and publishing when he became publisher of the Independence Daily Reporter in Independence, Kansas. His role as publisher gave him a prominent position in the civic life of Independence and southeastern Kansas and helped establish his public profile in the state.

Meyer’s engagement in business and local affairs in Kansas led to his election to Congress. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the Eightieth and Eighty-first Congresses and served as a Representative from Kansas from January 3, 1947, until his death on October 2, 1950. During his tenure, he participated in the democratic process in the House of Representatives, representing the interests of his Kansas constituents in the immediate postwar era, a time marked by economic reconversion, the beginning of the Cold War, and significant domestic legislative debates. He had won renomination for a third term, reflecting the confidence of his party and voters in his service.

Meyer died in office on October 2, 1950, from a heart attack at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, while still serving in the Eighty-first Congress. His death placed him among the members of the United States Congress who died in office in the mid-twentieth century. He was interred in Mount Hope Cemetery in Independence, Kansas, the community where he had lived, worked as a newspaper publisher, and built his political career. Memorial services were held in the House of Representatives, and remarks were presented in eulogy of Herbert Alton Meyer, commemorating his public service and his contributions as a Representative from Kansas.