John white geary biography
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Standing six feet, five and one half inches tall—Pennsylvania's tallest governor—and weighing 260 pounds, Geary was forceful, opinionated, compassionate, and sometimes compulsive. He served two terms as the Republican governor of Pennsylvania, until 1873.
In 1864 Geary was appointed by General William T. Sherman military governor of Savannah. In 1850, he was elected that city's first mayor. Microfilmed papers, 1857-1871, include executive minutes, petitions, and other official correspondence from his term as Kansas territorial governor. Sketch (Full):
John White Geary was born December 30, 1819, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
His father taught at an academy, which he attended before entering Jefferson College at Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, studying civil engineering. Coe mss. He was also Governor of the Kansas Territory in 1856 and 1857. After his graduation in 1841 and the death of his father, Geary worked as a clerk in a Pittsburgh store and taught school.
After he attempted to resign as the governor of Kansas Territory, President James Buchanan fired him on March 20, 1857. He died on February 8, 1873, shortly after leaving office.
John Geary’s military record was mixed, and as Kansas territorial governor he failed (as did his predecessors and successors) to fashion a peace between its factions.
Geary returned to his native Pennsylvania until the outbreak of war. : Yale University Libraries, 1953.
Holder of originals:
Letters to Edward R. Geary, 1857 Jan.-Nov.: Edward R. Geary papers, 1847-1876 (bulk 1859-1861) (Mss 68), Oregon Historical Society (Portland): http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv24631/op=fstyle.aspx?t=k&q=Geary (accessed 6 July 2021).
Letters to John White Geary's wives, 1847-1870: Originals in private hands.
Microfilmed papers, 1857-1871: Originals in Coe, William Robertson, collector.
[Portland, Or. : Oregon Historical Society, 1960].
Letters to John White Geary's wives, 1847-1870: Typescripts.
Microfilmed papers, 1857-1871: Microfilm. 11: John White Geary letters and papers 1857-1871
Related Records or Collections
Associated materials:
Geary family papers, 1846-1913 (bulk 1846-1873), 6 ft.
At age fourteen, he attended Jefferson College in Canonsburg, but interrupted his studies when his father died in a wagon accident. Finally graduating from Jefferson College in 1841, and later completing studies in civil engineering and law, he first went to work in Kentucky before returning to Pennsylvania to work for the Allegheny Portage Railroad.
In 1843, he married Margaret Ann Logan, with whom he had several sons, but she died in 1853.
He commanded the "White Star" division of the 20th army corps in the battle of Atlanta. At the time he left office, Geary faced intense criticism over payments made to Pennsylvania by the federal treasury to reimburse the state for its Civil War spending. (collection 2062), Historical Society of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia): http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/g/geary2062.htm (accessed 6 July 2021).
John White Geary papers, 1855-1871, 1.6 ft.