John T. Myers (congressman)

Life and career

Born in Covington, Indiana, Myers graduated from Covington High School in 1945 and earned his B.S. at Indiana State University in 1951. He also attended Eastern Illinois University where he was a member of the Sigma Pi fraternity. Myers served in the United States Army from 1945 to 1946, was a cashier and trust officer with the Fountain Trust Company from 1952 to 1966 and worked as a farmer in Fountain County. He was first elected to congress in 1966 and was re-elected fourteen more times, serving from 1967 until his retirement in 1997. Although he was the ranking Republican on the United States House Committee on Appropriations, after the Republicans took control of the House in 1994, Myers was passed over for the position by new House Speaker Newt Gingrich, giving the post to Bob Livingston. Myers died at his home in Covington, Indiana on January 27, 2015 at the age of 87.

Memorialization

A pedestrian bridge connecting nearby cities Lafayette and West Lafayette in Tippecanoe County is named after Myers and opened in 1993.