Geary, John White, 1819-1873

John W. Geary was a lawyer, politician and Union general in the Civil War (1861-1865). He was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania on 30 December 1819. After serving as a colonel in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War (1846-1848), Geary went to California for the 1849 gold rush. While in California, Geary became the first governor of San Francisco from 1850 to 1851 and was later governor of the Kansas Territory from 1856-1857. Following his term as governor, Geary returned to Pennsylvania and with the onset of the Civil War he joined the 28th Pennsylvania Infantry as a colonel. He was later promoted to brigadier general and saw action in many of the major battles of the war. Geary later was assigned to the Twelfth Army Corps as a division commander and went on to distinguish himself in command during the Battle of Lookout Mountain in Tennessee, the entire Atlanta Campaign, Sherman's March to the Sea, and the Carolinas Campaign. He also oversaw the surrender of Savannah, Georgia in December 1864 and briefly served as the city's military governor. Following the end of the Civil War, Geary returned to Pennsylvania and served as its governor from 1867 to 1873. He died of a heart attack three weeks after the end of his term as governor on 8 February 1873 in Harrisburg.

From the description of John W. Geary letters, 1858-1865. (Georgia Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 309281955

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