Henry C. Myers (Mississippi politician)

Henry C. Myers
26th Secretary of State of Mississippi
In office November 15, 1878 – January 14, 1886
Governor	John M. Stone Robert Lowry
Preceded by	D. P. Porter
Succeeded by	George M. Govan
Personal details
Born	(1847-10-17)October 17, 1847 Wadesboro, North Carolina
Died	August 19, 1917(1917-08-19) (aged 69) Memphis, Tennessee
Political party	Democrat
Spouse	Minnie Walter (m. 1873-1911, her death)
Children	1

Henry C. Myers (October 17, 1847 - August 19, 1917) was a Democratic Mississippi politician and the 26th Secretary of State of Mississippi, serving from 1878 to 1886.

Early life

Henry C. Myers was born on October 17, 1847, in Wadesboro, North Carolina.[1] He was the son of Absalom and Adeline (Boggan) Myers.[1] He had 6 older brothers and 2 older half-brothers from his father's first marriage.[1][2] Their names were, from oldest to youngest, George, Calvin, Absalom, Albert, Patrick, Martin, and William.[2] When Henry was eight years old, he moved with his family to northern Mississippi.[1] During the Civil War, all of his brothers and half-brothers fought for the Confederacy.[1] In 1863, the 15-year-old Myers joined the (also Confederate) 2nd Missouri Regiment.[1] He was paroled in May 1865.[1] He then edited and published a newspaper called The South in Holly Springs.[2] During Reconstruction, he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.[1]

Political career

Myers held multiple political offices in Marshall County, Mississippi.[1] On November 15, 1878, he was appointed Secretary of State of Mississippi as a Democrat to permanently fill in the vacancy left by the death of Kinloch Falconer[1][3][4] (between Falconer's death and Myers' appointment, D. P. Porter was temporarily appointed).[3] Myers was then elected to the position in November 1881, for the 1882-1886 term. On January 14, 1886, Myers was succeeded in the office by George M. Govan.[1][3]

Later life

A few years after leaving office, Myers moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he entered the banking and insurance businesses.[1][5] He was stricken with paralysis in December 1916 and died in Memphis on August 19, 1917.[1][5][6]

Personal life

Myers married Minnie Walter, the daughter of Colonel H. W. Walter, in 1873.[1][2] They had one child together, a daughter who married John B. Edgar.[1][2] Minnie died in 1911.[1][7]

References

1. Confederate Veteran. 1917. p. 516.
2. Mathes, James Harvey (1897). The Old Guard in Gray. Press of S. C. Toof & Company. pp. 167–168.
3. Mississippi (1900). Department Reports. p. 179.
4. The New York Evening Express Almanac: Hand-book of Politics, Statesman's Manual, and Statistical Register, for Bankers, Merchants and Agriculturists. New York Evening Express. 1879. p. 96.
5. "Jackson Daily News from Jackson, Mississippi on August 20, 1917 · Page 2". Newspapers.com. 20 August 1917. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
6. "Obituary for HENRY C. MYERS (Aged 69)". Knoxville Sentinel. 1917-08-20. p. 10. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
7. "Nashville Banner from Nashville, Tennessee on July 15, 1911 · 2". Newspapers.com. 15 July 1911. Retrieved 2021-05-01.