Henry D. Styer was born in Sellersville, Pennsylvania on 21 September 1862, the son of William Barrett Styer and Katharine (Delp) Styer. He was raised and educated in Sellersville, attended Franklin & Marshall College from 1877 to 1879, and worked as a schoolteacher. In 1880, he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point from U.S. Representative Reuben K. Bachman. Styer graduated in 1884 ranked 29th of 37. At graduation, he received his commission as a second lieutenant of Infantry.
In June 1884, Styer began his career with American Indian Wars assignment to the 21st Infantry Regiment at Fort Fred Steele, Wyoming. He served in Wyoming until July 1886, when he was posted to Fort Duchesne, Utah. Styer was also a member of the Department of the Platte's rifle team from September 1884 to September 1886. In February 1888, he escorted a detachment of recruits to Fort Sidney, Nebraska, after which he commanded the detachment and the post. In July 1888, he was assigned to duty at Fort Douglas, Utah. In May 1891, Styer was promoted to first lieutenant in the 22nd Infantry and continued to serve at Fort Douglas. In July 1891, Styer transferred to the 13th Infantry and was assigned to Fort Reno, Indian Territory, where he served until September 1892.
In September 1892, Styer was assigned as professor of military science at Utah Agricultural College (now Utah State University), where he remained until September 1896. Styer was next assigned to Fort Niagara, New York, where he commanded the post and a detachment of 13th Infantry soldiers that trained recruits for and shipped supplies to units bound for Cuba during the Spanish–American War, as well as performing security and patrol duties on the US-Canada border. In a May 1898 incident that made national headlines, journalists reported a rumor that soldiers had captured two Spanish spies at Fort Niagara. Styer clarified in subsequent reports that two men had approached the fort by boat at night and asked him to enlist them, but they looked disreputable, so told them to leave, after which he did not see them again. He was promoted to captain in October 1898 and later received the Spanish War Service Medal. In April 1899, Styer was assigned to Philippine–American War duty with the 13th Infantry, and in August 1899 he was appointed regimental quartermaster. Styer served in the Philippines until July 1902, then was assigned to Fort McDowell, California, where he continued as the 13th Infantry's quartermaster until April 1903. He remained with the 13th Infantry at Fort McDowell until July 1903. Styer later received the Philippine Campaign Medal to recognize his performance of duty during this conflict.
Family
In 1891, Styer married Bessie Wilkes of Salt Lake City, who was the granddaughter of Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes. They were married until his death and were the parents of three children:
Charles Wilkes Styer (1897–1976), a rear admiral in the US Navy
Katherine Elizabeth "Bess" Styer (1904–1975), who was married three times, including twice to US Navy admirals, and from 1944 to 1948 was the first woman to serve on the Coronado City Council.
Continued career
Styer at his desk during World War I
In July 1903, Styer was again assigned as professor of military science at Utah Agricultural College, where he served until October 1906. He was then assigned to duty in the Philippines during the Moro Rebellion, where he remained until August 1909. He was promoted to major in the 29th Infantry in May 1907. After returning from the Philippines, he was again assigned to Fort Niagara. In November 1912, Styer was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the 17th Infantry and assigned to Mexican Border War duty with the 2nd Division in Texas City, Texas. He graduated from the United States Army War College in 1914, after which he was assigned as senior inspector and instructor for the New Jersey National Guard.
In March 1918, Styer was reduced from his temporary brigadier general's rank to his permanent rank of colonel so he could command the 27th Infantry Regiment, part of American Expeditionary Force, Siberia. He served in the North Russia intervention until early 1919, leading American "doughboys" partnered with Allies including Japanese and Czech forces as they guarded segments of the vital Trans-Siberian Railway and prevented weapons intended for the White Russians during the Russian Civil War from falling into the hands of the Bolsheviks. As the senor American commander during the early phases of the intervention, Styer accepted the assertion of Japanese commander Kikuzo Otani that the Allies had committed to unified operations under Otani's leadership. When Otani claimed 15,000 Bolsheviks and armed German and Austrian prisoners of war threatened Vladivostok, Styer and his troops took part in Otani's joint offensive along the railway. When William S. Graves arrived to assume command of US forces, he carried orders from President Woodrow Wilson directing US neutrality in Russian affairs, which ended Otani's command of the joint Allied force.
Sign marking location of VFW Post 2422, named for Styer
In early 1919, Styer returned to the United States and requested retirement, which was approved in April. Styer received the Order of the Rising Sun (3rd class) from Japan and the War Cross from Czechoslovakia in recognition of his Siberian service. After retiring, Styer was employed as a special representative of the New York Life Insurance Company. In November 1919, Styer was recalled to active duty and assigned to recruiting activities in Detroit, and he remained in uniform until retiring again in September 1922. From 1924 to 1925, he was an instructor at Oak Ridge Military Academy, North Carolina. In June 1930, the US Congress enacted legislation permitting First World War general officers to retire at their highest rank, and Styer was promoted to brigadier general on the retired list. In 1941, Styer was elected national commander of the Veterans of the American Expeditionary Forces, Siberia. His residences during his retirement included Youngstown, New York and Eagle Lake, Florida. Styer and his wife also traveled extensively, including trips throughout the United States and to Europe, South America, and Asia. He later resided in Coronado, California, where he died on 11 May 1944. Styer was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Styer donated land to the Veterans of Foreign Wars to use in establishing a post in Coronado; Post 2422 was named in his honor.
↑Shanks, David C. (9 June 1932). "Obituary, Isaac Newton Lewis". Sixty-first Annual Report of the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy. Newburgh, New York: Moore Printing Company. pp.151–157 – via Google Books.
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