newspaperman, businessman, b. Princeton, Green Lake County. He Iearned the printing trade in the office of the Wausau Central Wisconsin, and in 1882 established the Wausau Review, editing this paper until 1884 when he consolidated it with the Wisconsin River Pilot under the name Wausau Pilot and Review. The paper was restyled Wausau Pilot Review (1886-1896) and after 1896 was known as the Wausau Pilot. Thayer was editor of this paper until his retirement in 1920, when the editorship was assumed by his son, Eugene B. Thayer, Jr. A Democrat, Thayer held local political offices in Marathon County, was receiver for the U.S. land office in Wausau (1893-1897), and was also active in several Wausau business enterprises, including the Wausau Telephone Co., and the First National Bank. He was secretary of the Marathon Agricultural Society (1889-1896), and after retiring devoted his later years to writing on the history of Marathon County. M. M. Quaife, Wis. (4 vols., Chicago, 1924); L. Marchetti, Hist. of Marathon Co. (Chicago, 1913); Wausau Daily Record-Herald, Aug. 5, 1931.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Eugene B. Thayer Papers for details.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]