George Washington Geddes (July 16, 1824 – November 9, 1892) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served as a U.S. representative from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

for four terms from 1879 to 1887.

Early life and career

Born in

Mount Vernon, Ohio Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Kokosing River, northeast of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 16,956 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Th ...

, Geddes attended the common schools. He studied law under

Columbus Delano Columbus Delano (June 4, 1809 – October 23, 1896) was an American lawyer, rancher, banker, statesman, and a member of the prominent Delano family. Forced to live on his own at an early age, Delano struggled to become a self-made man. Delano ...

. He was admitted to the bar in July 1845 and practiced. He served as judge of the court of common pleas of the sixth judicial district in 1856. He was reelected in 1861. Geddes was again elected in 1868, and served until 1873. He resumed the practice of law. He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for judge of the

Supreme Court of Ohio The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, ...

in 1871. He resumed the practice of law in Mansfield.

Congress

Geddes was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-sixth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1887). He served as chairman of the Committee on War Claims ( Forty-eighth and Forty-ninth Congresses). He declined to be a candidate for reelection in 1886 to the Fiftieth Congress. He resumed the practice of his profession.

Family life

Married Nancy Lennon of

Ashland County, Ohio Ashland County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,447. Its county seat and largest city is Ashland. The county is named for " Ashland", the home of Senator ...

in 1848, and had three sons, Samuel, James and George. Nancy died in 1878, and Geddes married Amelia Gass, December 1880. Geddes was a trustee of

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (abbrevriated OWU) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Ohio Valley, Centra ...

and Mount Union College. He was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Death

He died in

Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in Richland County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 47,534 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located approximately from Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, Columbus via Interstate 71, it i ...

, November 9, 1892. He was interred in Mansfield Cemetery.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geddes, George Washington 1824 births 1892 deaths People from Mount Vernon, Ohio Ohio lawyers Politicians from Mansfield, Ohio 19th-century American lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives