David Patterson Dyer was a United States federal judge

United States federal judge

In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....

 and U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

. He was also the uncle of U.S. Representative Leonidas C. Dyer

Leonidas C. Dyer

Leonidas Carstarphen Dyer was an American politician, reformer, civil rights activist, and military officer who served 11 terms in the U.S. Congress as a Republican Representative from Missouri from 1911 to 1933. In 1898 enrolling in the U.S...

.

Born in Henry County, Virginia

Henry County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 57,930 people, 23,910 households, and 16,952 families residing in the county. The population density was 152 people per square mile . There were 25,921 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile...

, Dyer moved with his parents to Lincoln County, Missouri

Lincoln County, Missouri

As of the census of 2000, there were 38,944 people, 13,851 households, and 10,554 families residing in the county. The population density was 62 people per square mile . There were 15,511 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...

, in 1841.
He completed preparatory studies, went to St. Charles College, studied law in Bowling Green, Missouri

Bowling Green, Missouri

Bowling Green is a city in Pike County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,260 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pike County.Ameren's Peno Creek Power Plant, a combustion turbine generator power plant, is located in Bowling Green....

, and was admitted to the bar in March 1859. He then went into private practice of law in Pike County, Missouri

Pike County, Missouri

As of the census of 2010, there were 18,516 people, 6,451 households, and 4,476 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 7,493 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...

.

Dyer was elected prosecuting attorney of Third Judicial Circuit Court

Circuit court

Circuit court is the name of court systems in several common law jurisdictions.-History:King Henry II instituted the custom of having judges ride around the countryside each year to hear appeals, rather than forcing everyone to bring their appeals to London...

 in 1860. During 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 served as a private in Captain Hardin's company, Pike County Regiment, Missouri Home Guard, and as lieutenant colonel and colonel in the Forty-ninth Regiment, Missouri Volunteer Infantry. He served as member of the Missouri House of Representatives

Missouri House of Representatives

The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 31,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections held in even-numbered years.In 1992 Missouri...

 from 1862 to 1865. He was Secretary of the Missouri Senate

Missouri Senate

The Missouri State Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 160,000...

 in 1866. He served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1868.

Dyer was elected as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 to the Forty-first Congress (March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1871), representing Missouri's 9th congressional district

Missouri's 9th congressional district

Missouri's 9th congressional district encompasses rural Northeast Missouri, the area known as "Little Dixie," along with the larger towns of Columbia, Fulton, Kirksville and Union. Boone, Franklin, and a portion of St. Charles County comprise the highest voting centers of the mostly rural district...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1870 to the Forty-second Congress, and resumed the practice of law in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

. He was a United States Attorney

United States Attorney

United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...

 for the Eastern District of Missouri from 1875 to 1876, and was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for Governor of Missouri in 1880. He was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...

 to again be the U.S. Attorney for his district, and served from March 9, 1902, to March 31, 1907.

On February 27, 1907, Roosevelt nominated Dyer to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri is a trial level federal district court based in St. Louis, Missouri, with jurisdiction over fifty counties in the eastern half of Missouri. The court is one of ninety-four district-level courts which make up the first tier of...

, to a seat vacated by Gustavus A. Finkelnburg

Gustavus A. Finkelnburg

Gustavus Adolphus Finkelnburg was a nineteenth century politician, lawyer and judge from Missouri.-Biography:Born near Cologne, Germany, Finkelnburg immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1848, settling in St. Charles, Missouri. He attended St. Charles College and graduated from...

. He was confirmed by the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 on March 1, and received commission the same day. He assumed senior status

Senior status

Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...

on November 3, 1919, and died in St. Louis in 1924. He was interred in Bellefontaine Cemetery.