Robert Helyer Thayer (September 22, 1901 − January 26, 1984) was an American lawyer, naval officer and diplomat.
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Early life
Thayer was born in Southborough, Massachusetts, the son of Rev. William Greenough Thayer (1863−1934), headmaster of St. Mark's School from 1894−1930, and Violet Otis Thayer (1871−1962) of the Boston Brahmin Otis family.
He attended St. Mark's School, then earned a bachelor's degree from Amherst College and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1926. His elder brother, Sigourney Thayer (1896−1944), was a theatrical producer, aviator and poet.
Career
After graduating from Law School, Thayer began practicing law in New York City under Gen. William Joseph Donovan. He assisted Charles Lindbergh's lead lawyer, Col. Henry Skillman Breckinridge on the famous Lindbergh kidnapping case in 1932, staying at the Charles A Lindbergh residence in Hopewell, New Jersey, until the body of the child was found on May 12, 1932. Bruno Richard Hauptmann was executed for this crime in 1936.