Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/279

 GEAR

GEARY

removed to Philadelphia in 1879 and l)efanie president of or director in numerous railroad, coal and iron companies.

GEAR, Hiram Lewis, lawyer, was horn in Marietta. Oiiio, Dec. 1, 1843; son of the Rev. Hiram and JeriLsha (Sage) Gear; grandson of Lewis Gear and Rufus B. Sage of Cromwell, Conn.; and a descendant of David Sage, one of the first settlers of Middletown, Conn., who im- migrated from Wales in 10.J3. He was graduated from Marietta college in 1863, remaining there one year as a tutor. He was married, July G, 18G3, to Cornelia, daughter of Judge Peter Van Clief of Downieville, Cal., and removed to that place. He was admitted to the bar, Dec. 1, 1863, and practised in partnership with his father in- law. In 1868 he was elected district attorney of Plumas county, and in 18T0 returned to Ohio, wliere he practised for two years. He was or- dained to the Baptist ministry in August, 1872, and held various pastorates and representative positions in the Baptist denomination until 1883, when he returned to California and resumed the practice of law at San Francisco. In April, 1889, he was appointed assistant reporter of the deci- sions of the supreme court of California. He published a supplement to Hhodes's California Dii/t'st (1887); an Index Digest of the first sixty- seven volumes of California Raports (1887); and a treatise upon the Z,<ri" of Landlord and Tenant (1888).

GEAR, John Henry, .senator, was born in Ithaca, N.Y., April 7, 1835; son of Ezekiel and Miranda (Cook) Gear. He attended the common schools of his native ])lace mitil 1836, when he removed to Galena, 111. In 1838 he went to Fort Snelling, Iowa Territory, and thence in 1843 to Burlington, where lie engaged in mercan- tile pursuits. He was elected mayor of Bur- lington in 1863. and was a menrber of the Iowa house of repre- sentatives of the 14th, 15th and 16tii general assemblies, from 1873 to 1876, being speaker during the last two terms He was go\- ernor of Iowa. 1878- 83; a Republican representative from Iowa in the ."jOth, 51st and 531 congresses. 1887-91 and 1893-95; assistant secretary of the treasury 1892-93; was twice elected U.S. senator, to serve 189.5-1907. He died in Washington, D.C., July 14. 1900.

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GEARY, John White, governor of Pennsyl- vania, vvas born in Mount Pleasant, Westmore- land countj', Pa., Dec. 30, 1819; son of Richard and Margaret (White) Geary. His father was principal of the academy where he was l)re- pared for college. He matriculated at Jefferson college, Canonsburg, Pa., in 1835, but was not graduated, leaving to provide for his widowed mother by teach- ing school. In the meantime he studied law and civil engi- neering and was ad- mitted to the bar. He assisted in the survej' of the Green River railroad and on puliiic works for Kentucky and thus earned suf- ficient money to dis charge the debts left by his father. In 1846 he joined the volun- ,

teer army in the Mex- (g^^^/g;^

ican war, having re- cruited the " Ameri- can Highlanders" and as lieutenant-colonel of the 3d Pennsylvania joined General Scott at Vera Cruz and commanded the regiment at Chapulte- pec, where he was wounded, and again later in the same day at Belen Gate where he won the apijrobation of the commanding general, and upon the fall of the Mexican cajiital he was made the first commander of the conquered city and was promoted colonel of his regiment. At the close of the war with Slexico he went to Cali- fornia and in 1849 was made postmaster of San Francisco by President Polk with general super- vision of the transportation of mails and estab- lishing of post-offices and postal routes on the Pacific coast. The people elected him alcalde and on the organization of a municipal govern- ment for the city of San Francisco, he was elected the fir.st mayor. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention and was an important factor in securing to the new state the exclusion of slavery. He returned to hi.'* farm in Westmoreland county. Pa., and remained out of public life till July, 1856, when President Pierce made him governor of the territory of Kansas. He effected peace between the rival factions striving to organize a state government and with the aid of United States troops con- vened the courts and restored confidence. This political movement secured the election of Buchanan to the presidency, but when Governor Geary undertook the task of securing a free- state constitution for the state, the Demo- cratic party failed to support him and he