Meyer, Henry A., 1860-

Henry Adolf Meyer (1860-1940) was born in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Meyer began his career as a grocer, serving as president of the Retail Grocer's Association of Brooklyn and the Retail Merchants Association of Brooklyn. In 1891, Meyer ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Brooklyn as a Republican. He formed the Germania Real Estate and Investment Company, which in 1892 began the development of the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, especially Vanderveer Park. Meyer was also committed to the development of Jamaica Bay as an industrial area and a harbor, working as the head of the Jamaica Bay Improvement Commission and as deputy New York City Dock Commissioner from 1918 to 1933. He authored two books: Vanderveer Park , published in 1901, and Looking Through Life's Window, an autobiography published in 1930.

From the guide to the Henry A. Meyer scrapbooks, 1888-1934, (Brooklyn Historical Society)