Charles Henry Boyer was born in Elkton, Maryland in 1869 to Edward Boyer and Indiana Clinton Caldwell Boyer Bunting. He attended the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia while fellow Yale alumnus Edward Bouchet was a faculty member, graduating in 1886. After teaching for four years at Charlotte Hall in Maryland, Boyer followed Bouchet’s academic path, attending Hopkins Grammar School in New Haven for college preparatory courses before beginning his undergraduate career at Yale. He excelled as a student, served as treasurer of the Freshman Union, and was recognized for oratory. He graduated from Yale in 1896, and later returned to earn a master's degree in 1915.
In 1897, he married Alethea Amelia Chase, and the couple had several children. Alethea Boyer died in 1926, and Charles Boyer married Inez T. Alston the following year.
Boyer went on to teach in St. Mary’s County, MD, then started a long career at St. Augustine’s University (then St. Augustine’s School) in Raleigh, NC. At St. Augustine’s, he taught math and Greek and coached sports for several years before serving as dean. With his leadership, the school became an accredited college. He was also a leader in a number of organizations related to education, health, athletics, and the Episcopal Church.
Boyer died in 1942 in Raleigh.
Image citation: Yale College Class of 1896 class book, Yale University Library