Myers, Leonard, 1827-1905

Leonard Myers (November 13, 1827 – February 11, 1905) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district during the Civil War and throughout much of Reconstruction.

Born in Attleboro (now Langhorne), Pennsylvania, he attended private academic schools and the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia before studying law. Admitted to the bar in 1848, Myers practiced in Philadelphia and held various local offices. He served as a major of the Ninth Regiment, Pennsylvania Militia in 1862.

Myers was elected as a Republican to Congress in 1862, serving from March 1863 to March 1869. In April 1869, he successfully contested the election of Democrat John Moffet, much to the bitterness of Moffet's supporters. Myers continued to serve from April 1869 to March 1875. He was chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Committee on Patents, and the Committee on Private Land Claims. Myers was an abolitionist and among the faction of "Radical Republicans" led by Ulysses S. Grant that opposed giving southern states access to power during Reconstruction. In 1874 he was defeated for reelection, the same year that Democrats took the majority in Congress. He then resumed his legal practice in Philadelphia. Myers died on February 11, 1905 and was interred in De Benneville family cemetery.