George von Lengerke Meyer
George von Lengerke Meyer (June 24, 1858 – March 9, 1918) was a Massachusetts businessman and Republican politician who held several important government posts in the early 1900s. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1892–1894) and was speaker of the house (1894–1896). He also sat on the Boston Common Council (1889–1891) and the Boston Board of Aldermen (1891).
Meyer was the U.S. ambassador to Italy (1901–1905) and then to Russia (1905–1907). In the Roosevelt administration, he was Postmaster General (1907–1909), where he helped introduce the first stamp vending machines and the first coil stamps.
When William Howard Taft became president, Meyer was appointed Secretary of the Navy (1909–1913). During his tenure the Navy began aviation experiments, including early carrier operations demonstrated by civilian pilot Eugene Ely, though Meyer initially opposed the project.
Born in Boston to a well-connected family, Meyer graduated from Harvard in 1879 and built a career as a merchant and trustee, directing banks, trust companies, manufacturing firms, and public utilities. He was active in Republican politics, helped lead Massachusetts events, and served as a national committeeman.
After leaving national politics in 1913, he supported Theodore Roosevelt in 1916 and criticized Woodrow Wilson’s naval policies as World War I began. He worked with the National Security League and the Navy League and served on the boards of several companies. He also helped fund the Lafayette memorial effort by purchasing the Château de Chavaniac in France as a base for the project.
Meyer died in Boston in 1918. The Navy destroyer USS Meyer (DD-279) was named in his honor. He was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Harvard.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 06:22 (CET).