Theodore Thurston Geer
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| Theodore T. Geer | |
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10th Governor of Oregon
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| In office January 9, 1899 – January 14, 1903 |
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| Preceded by | William Paine Lord |
| Succeeded by | George Earle Chamberlain |
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Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives
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| In office 1891 – 1892 |
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| Preceded by | E. L. Smith |
| Succeeded by | W. P. Keady |
| Constituency | Marion County |
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| Born | March 12, 1851 Waldo Hills, Oregon |
| Died | March 14, 1917 Portland, Oregon |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Nancy Batte Duncan Isabelle Trullinger |
| Profession | journalist, farmer |
| Office information[1] | |
Theodore Thurston Geer (1851-1924) was the 10th Governor of Oregon, serving from January 9, 1899 to January 14, 1903. The Republican politician was in office when the legislature adopted the "Oregon System", Oregon's system of initiative and referendum. He also served in the Oregon House of Representatives, including time as its Speaker.
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[edit] Early life
Theodore Geer was born on March 12, 1851, in the Waldo Hills east of Salem, Oregon, 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 until 1877, Theodore 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]
[edit] Political career
In 1880, Geer was elected to the Oregon Legislative Assembly, representing Marion County in the House.[3] He returned to the House in 1889,[4] serving through the 1893 session of the legislature.[5] In the 1891 session, Geer served as Speaker of the House.[6] Geer served as a Presidential Elector in 1897.[2]
Theodore Geer was elected as the 10th Governor of Oregon in 1898 to replace William Paine Lord.[1] He defeated Democrat and Populist party nominee W. R. King for the top executive position of the state.[7] A Republican governor, he served one term from January 9, 1899 until January 14, 1903.[1] Though the tenth governor since statehood, Geer became the first native Oregonian to hold that position.[2] In 1902, he supported and signed the legislation passed by the Oregon Legislative Assembly that instituted the initiative and referendum system of legislation in Oregon.[7] Geer did not win re-nomination for a second term and left the office in 1903.[7]
[edit] Later life and family
In 1870, Geer married Nancy Batte Duncan, and they would have three children together.[2] Geer was married a second time in 1900, to Miss Isabelle Trullinger.[2] 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]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Oregon Blue Book: Oregon Governors
- ^ 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
- ^ Oregon Legislative Assembly (15th) 1889 Regular Session
- ^ Oregon Legislative Assembly (17th) 1893 Regular Session
- ^ Oregon Legislative Assembly (16th) 1891 Regular Session
- ^ a b c d Theodore T. Geer. Oregon State Library, Accessed September 10, 2007.
[edit] External links
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