Theodore Thurston Geer (March 12, 1851February 21, 1924) was the
tenth Governor of Oregon (the first born in the territory of the state), 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
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...
, including time as its Speaker.
Biography
Early life
Theodore Geer was born on March 12, 1851, in the
Waldo Hills east of
Salem
Salem may refer to: Places
Canada
Ontario
* Bruce County
** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie
** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce
* Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...
, in what was then the
Oregon Territory.
[Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.] 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.
[
After his parents separated he began working, and in 1866 he moved to the Grande Ronde Valley with his father.][ While living in Eastern Oregon, Geer wrote letters to the ''Blue Mountain Times'' newspaper.][ In 1877, he returned to the Willamette Valley and the Waldo Hills where he farmed.][
]
Political career
In 1880, Geer was elected to the Oregon Legislative Assembly
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...
, representing Marion County in the House of Representatives. He returned to the House in 1889, serving through the 1893 legislative session, and serving as Speaker of the House in 1891. He served as a Presidential Elector in 1897.[
Theodore Geer was elected as the 10th Governor of Oregon in 1898 to replace William Paine Lord,][ defeating Democrat and Populist party nominee W. R. King.][Theodore T. Geer.]
Oregon State Library, Accessed September 10, 2007. A Republican governor, he served one term from January 9, 1899, until January 14, 1903.[ Geer was the tenth governor since statehood, but the first native Oregonian to hold that position.][
Geer supported the first amendment to the 1857 ]Oregon Constitution
The Oregon Constitution is the governing document of the U.S. state of Oregon, originally enacted in 1857. As amended the current state constitution contains eighteen sections, beginning with a bill of rights. that instituted the initiative and referendum system of legislation in Oregon.[ The amendment was passed by the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1899 and 1901, and approved by the Oregon voters in 1902.][ Geer did not win re-nomination for a second term and left the office in 1903.][
]
Bicycling
Geer was known for being an enthusiastic participant in the 1890s bicycle craze, and the governor-elect signed the 1899 "cycle path" legislation passed by the State Legislature that was to create a statewide network of bicycle paths. Governor Geer regularly bicycled from his home in Macleay to the Capitol.
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.[ In 1908, Geer moved to Portland, Oregon, where he published ''Fifty Years in Oregon'' in 1911.][ Theodore Thurston Geer then worked in real estate before dying on February 21, 1924, in Portland.][
]
Family history and legacy
In 1870, Geer married Nancy Batte Duncan, and they had three children together.[ Geer was married a second time in 1900, to Miss Isabelle Trullinger.][
There are several places in Marion County named for the Geer family, who settled in the Waldo Hills and on Howell Prairie. The "Geer Branch" off the Southern Pacific railroad's main Willamette Valley line once ran from the Salem station to Geer station on the prairie. The line was later used by the Willamette Valley Railway. The Waldo Hills home of ]Ralph Carey Geer
Ralph Carey Geer (March 13, 1816 – January 9, 1895) was an American farmer and politician in what became the state of Oregon. A native of Connecticut,
he lived in Ohio and Illinois before taking the Oregon Trail west to Oregon where he started ...
, an uncle of T. T. Geer and a member of the Oregon Territorial Legislature, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the R. C. Geer Farmhouse
R. or r. may refer to:
* ''Reign'', the period of time during which an Emperor, king, queen, etc., is ruler.
* '' Rex'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning King
* ''Regina'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning Queen
* or , abbreviat ...
. It is located on R. C. Geer's original Donation Land Claim.
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.
Oregon Heritage Tree
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
.
Footnotes
Works
''Fifty Years in Oregon.''
New York: Neal Publishing Co., 1912.
External links
*
Historic images related to the Geer family
from Salem Public Library
1911 biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geer, Theodore Thurston
Republican Party governors of Oregon
Willamette University alumni
1851 births
1924 deaths
Speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives
Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives
American Unitarians
Journalists from Oregon