The family moved to Fargo, North Dakota, where he worked in his father's feedlot shop, studied woodwork and learned to play his stepmother's Colin saxophone.
Despite his father's opposition, he decided to study medicine at North Dakota State University, graduating with a bachelor of science degree in pre-med in 1943.
He looked for innovative approaches to medicine, introducing Lamaze childbirth courses, allowing fathers into the delivery room and hiring the first licensed nurse-midwife in Spokane.
[1] He decided to run for office in the Washington House of Representatives for the 6th district to replace Dick Bond on June 2, 1986, branding himself as a conservative Republican.
[1] He faced criticism for not appearing for a debate at the Eastern Washington University Women's Center on October 21, 1986, as he had scheduled a last minute surgery on the same day.
He was nominated by Governor Booth Gardner to an AIDS task force, where he created an informational booklet and a bill addressing the issue.
[1] When he ran for re-election in 1988, he focused on bridging the economic disparities between the eastern and western halves of the state, tougher drug laws to prevent the spread of AIDs and raising taxes to fund healthcare, childcare and education.
"[1] Moyer was elected unanimously in 1989 to replace Lois Stratton as chair of the Eastern Washington caucus, although fractures began to appear in the group and he ultimately resigned from the position after two years.
During his second term, he worked to pass the Maternity Care Access Act, establishing the First Steps program which improved infant mortality in the state.
He worked with the Democrats to pass a healthcare reform bill, after requesting a number of amendments, although the majority of its provisions were repealed or changed after two years.
During the primary, Brown received 57 percent of the votes and Moyer began negative campaigning, planning radio ads to imply that she was a supporter of communism and was too lenient on sex offenders.
[1] He began dating Joanne Halstead, a registered nurse at his practice during his first term in office and the couple married on January 10, 1988, in Spokane.
[1] After losing re-election, Moyer began to serve on the board of local Spokane organizations, including the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, the Interplayers Ensemble theatre and Allegro: Baroque and Beyond.