George Washington McCrary (August 29, 1835 – June 23, 1890) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from Iowa, the 33rd

United States Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the President of the United States, U.S. president's United States Cabinet, Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's Presidency of George Washington, administration. A similar position, called either "Sec ...

and a United States circuit judge of the United States Circuit Courts for the Eighth Circuit.

Education and career

Born on August 29, 1835, near

Evansville Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 census, it is Indiana's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the most populous city in S ...

, Vanderburg County,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, McCrary moved with his parents in 1836 to the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

( Iowa Territory from July 4, 1838, State of

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

from December 28, 1846) who settled in Van Buren County.Obituary of George McCrary
" New York Times, 1890-06-24 at p. 3. He attended the public schools, taught in the country schools at age 18,

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

at the

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

of future

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

Justice

Samuel Freeman Miller Samuel Freeman Miller (April 5, 1816 – October 13, 1890) was an American lawyer and physician who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, U.S. Supreme ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1856. He entered private practice in Keokuk,

from 1856 to 1857. He was a member of the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

in 1857, resuming private practice in Keokuk from 1858 to 1861. He was a member of the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the Iowa, state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . Each Senat ...

from 1861 to 1865, again resuming private practice in Keokuk from 1862 to 1869.

Congressional service

In 1868, McCrary successfully sought a U.S. House seat from

Iowa's 1st congressional district Iowa's 1st congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its southeastern part, bordering the states of Illinois and Missouri, and the Mississippi River. ...

to succeed Radical Republican James F. Wilson. He was elected as a Republican from the district to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

of the

41st United States Congress The 41st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1869, ...

and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1869, to March 3, 1877. He was Chairman of the Committee on Elections for the

42nd United States Congress The 42nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1871, ...

and Chairman of the Committee on Railways and Canals for the

43rd United States Congress The 43rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1873, ...

. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1876.

Congressional activity

In McCrary's first month in Congress, he received national attention for refusing to support an appropriation for a federal courthouse in Keokuk because the nation was in debt and he could not support such a courthouse in every district. He published ''A Treatise on the American Law of Elections'', in 1875. In the

44th United States Congress The 44th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1875, ...

, as a member of the

United States House Committee on the Judiciary The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, f ...

, he was the author of a farsighted (but unsuccessful) bill to reorganize the federal courts to enable reasonable and prompt judicial review. He helped create the Electoral Commission to resolve the outcome of the 1876 Presidential Election, and served on the committee that investigated the Crédit Mobilier scandal. Maintaining his passion for law, McCrary established an expertise in contested elections and laws pertaining to elections. He published ''A Treatise on the American Law of Elections'' in 1875, which later underwent four editions. During his House years, McCrary allied with the congressional " Half-Breeds," the loosely organized and more moderate wing of the Republican Party (in comparison to the pro-

spoils system In politics and government, a spoils system (also known as a patronage system) is a practice in which a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its supporters, friends (cronyism), and relatives (nepotism) as a rewar ...

Stalwarts) which emphasized industrial interests and protective

tariff A tariff or import tax is a duty (tax), duty imposed by a national Government, government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer. Exceptionally, an export tax may be levied on exports of goods ...

s in addition to supporting civil service reform.

Secretary of War

McCrary was the 33rd

in the cabinet of President

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th president of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. Hayes served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861. He was a staunch Abolitionism in the Un ...

from March 12, 1877, to December 11, 1879, when he resigned.Nominations by the President
' New York Times, 1879-12-02 at p. 3. As Secretary, McCrary withdrew federal troops from the remaining reconstruction governments in

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

and

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, and used federal troops in the 1877 railway strike and in Mexican border disturbances. The greatest military conflicts during his watch occurred in the American West, in battles with certain Native American tribes in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, and elsewhere.War Department Needs: Secretary M'Crary's Annual Report
" New York Times, 1879-11-24 at p. 2.

Memberships

McCrary was elected as a 3rd Class (honorary) member of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

(MOLLUS). This was probably due to President Hayes' influence as a prominent member of MOLLUS. (Hayes would later serve as MOLLUS commander-in-chief.)

Federal judicial service

McCrary was nominated by President

on December 1, 1879, to a seat on the United States Circuit Courts for the Eighth Circuit vacated by Judge

John Forrest Dillon John Forrest Dillon (December 25, 1831 – May 6, 1914) was an American attorney in Iowa and New York, a justice of the Iowa Supreme Court and a United States circuit judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Eighth Circuit. He autho ...

. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on December 9, 1879, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on March 18, 1884, due to his resignation, which he attributed to his family's financial need after his many years of public service.Judge M'Crary Resigns
" New York Times, 1884-01-02 at p. 1.

Later career and death

Following his resignation from the federal bench, McCrary resumed private practice in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

from 1884 to 1890. He served as general counsel for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company in Kansas City, Missouri from 1884 to 1890. He died on June 23, 1890, in St. Joseph, Missouri, after suffering from a stomach tumor. He was interred in Oakland Cemetery in Keokuk.

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCrary, George W. 1835 births 1890 deaths Deaths from stomach cancer in the United States Hayes administration cabinet members Iowa lawyers Iowa state senators Judges of the United States circuit courts Members of the Iowa House of Representatives Missouri Republicans People from Keokuk, Iowa People from Van Buren County, Iowa People of the Reconstruction Era Politicians from Evansville, Indiana Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa United States federal judges appointed by Rutherford B. Hayes United States secretaries of war Deaths from cancer in Missouri Half-Breeds (Republican Party) 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Iowa General Assembly