| Edwin Pope Thayer | |
| Office: | 14th Secretary of the United States Senate |
| Term Start: | December 7, 1925 |
| Term End: | March 9, 1933 |
| Predecessor: | George A. Sanderson |
| Successor: | Edwin A. Halsey |
| Birth Date: | 15 December 1864 |
| Birth Place: | Greenfield, Indiana |
| Death Place: | Greenfield, Indiana |
| Party: | Republican |
| Education: | DePauw University |
Edwin Pope Thayer (December 15, 1864 in Greenfield, Indiana[1] – February 1, 1943), American politician. After graduation, he went to DePauw University from which he graduated in 1886.[2]
Edwin Pope Thayer served during the Spanish–American War.[3] He served as the regiment commander of Indiana's 158th Volunteers. After his service in the war, Thayer was a colonel in the National Guard for twelve years.[4]
After the death of the former Secretary of the Senate George Anderson, Edwin Thayer was nominated by a friend, Jim Watson.[5] Thayer won the unanimous endorsement of the Republican Convention.[6] On December 7, 1925, Thayer was appointed to the position of Secretary of the Senate.[7]
After discovering an original copy of the Monroe Doctrine Edwin Thayer became interested in the preservation of old Senate records.[8] He enlisted the help of Harold Hufford in storing the documents.[9] The old Senate documents that the two organized would later become some of the first legislative documents in the National Archives.[10]
In 1932 the Republican Party lost control of the Senate leading Thayer to lose his job as secretary.[11] He retired from the Senate on March 4, 1933.[12] Thayer later died in his hometown of Greenfield on February 1, 1943.[13]