Theodore Thurston Geer
Theodore T. Geer | |
---|---|
E. L. Smith | |
Succeeded by | W. P. Keady |
Constituency | Marion County |
Personal details | |
Born | March 12, 1851 Waldo Hills, Oregon Territory |
Died | February 21, 1924 Portland, Oregon | (aged 72)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Nancy Batte Duncan Isabelle Trullinger |
Profession | Journalist, farmer |
Office information[1] | |
Theodore Thurston Geer (March 12, 1851 – February 21, 1924) was the
Biography
Early life
Theodore Geer was born on March 12, 1851, in the Waldo Hills east of Salem, in what was then the Oregon Territory.[2] His parents, Heman Johnson Geer and the former Cynthia Ann Eoff, separated when Theodore was 14 years old. Geer was educated in the Salem schools and at Willamette University in Salem.[2]
After his parents separated he began working, and in 1866 he moved to the Grande Ronde Valley with his father.[2] While living in Eastern Oregon, Geer wrote letters to the Blue Mountain Times newspaper.[2] In 1877, he returned to the Willamette Valley and the Waldo Hills where he farmed.[2]
Political career
In 1880, Geer was elected to the
Theodore Geer was elected as the 10th Governor of Oregon in 1898 to replace William Paine Lord,[1] defeating Democrat and Populist party nominee W. R. King.[7] A Republican governor, he served one term from January 9, 1899, until January 14, 1903.[1] Geer was the tenth governor since statehood, but the first native Oregonian to hold that position.[2]
Geer supported the first amendment to the 1857
Bicycling
Geer was known for being an enthusiastic participant in the 1890s
Final years
After leaving political office, he worked as the editor of the Oregon Statesman newspaper from 1903 to 1905, and then owned the Pendleton Tribune from 1905 until 1908.[2] In 1908, Geer moved to Portland, Oregon, where he published Fifty Years in Oregon in 1911.[2] Theodore Thurston Geer then worked in real estate before dying on February 21, 1924, in Portland.[7]
Family history and legacy
In 1870, Geer married Nancy Batte Duncan, and they had three children together.[2] Geer was married a second time in 1900, to Miss Isabelle Trullinger.[2]
There are several places in Marion County named for the Geer family, who settled in the Waldo Hills and on
For 155 years, Geer ancestors have lived on the same farm pioneered by R. C. Geer, who in 1847 was among the first people to travel to the Willamette Valley via the Barlow Road portion of the Oregon Trail.[11][12] The farm, known today as GeerCrest (formerly Vesper Geer Rose Ranch), is now run as a teaching farm.[13] The farm is also known as the childhood home of Silverton political cartoonist Homer Davenport, whose mother, Florinda, was a member of the Geer family.
GeerCrest is the location of a large
Footnotes
- ^ a b c "Governor's Records Guides". sos.oregon.gov. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Corning, Howard M. Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.
- ^ "Oregon Legislative Assembly (11th) 1880 Regular Session". sos.oregon.gov. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "Oregon Legislative Assembly (15th) 1889 Regular Session". sos.oregon.gov. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "Oregon Legislative Assembly (17th) 1893 Regular Session". sos.oregon.gov. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "Oregon Legislative Assembly (16th) 1891 Regular Session". sos.oregon.gov. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Theodore T. Geer. Archived September 23, 2006, at the Wayback Machine Oregon State Library, Accessed September 10, 2007.
- ^ "Celebrate National Bike Month with a ride through Salem history". Williamettelive.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "Portland's 'golden age of bicycling' - BikePortland.org". BikePortland.org. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ Lundgren, Eric (November 7, 2007). "The Wheels of Fortune: Weather Prophet Pague, Governor Geer, & Portland's Original Network of Cycle Paths". Fall 2007 Seminar Series. Portland State University Center for Transportation Studies. Archived from the original (ASX video stream) on June 8, 2010. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
- ^ a b [1] Archived April 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Oregon In 1847". Oregonpioneers.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "Geer Crest Farm : Homepage". Geercrestfarm.com. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "PRO BONO WORK LENGTHENS LIFE OF SALEM'S WHIP TREE" (PDF). Collierarbor.com. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "Riding Whip Tree". Ortravelexpereince.com. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
Works
- Fifty Years in Oregon. New York: Neal Publishing Co., 1912.
External links
- Works by or about Theodore Thurston Geer at Internet Archive
- Historic images related to the Geer family from Salem Public Library
- 1911 biography