John Henry Gear | |
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| United States Senator fromIowa | |
| In office March 4, 1895 – July 14, 1900 | |
| Preceded by | James F. Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan P. Dolliver |
| Assistant Secretary of Treasury | |
| In office 1892–1893 | |
| Appointed by | Benjamin Harrison |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1891 | |
| Preceded by | Benton J. Hall |
| Succeeded by | John J. Seerley |
| In office March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895 | |
| Preceded by | John J. Seerley |
| Succeeded by | Samuel M. Clark |
| 11th Governor of Iowa | |
| In office January 17, 1878 – January 12, 1882 | |
| Lieutenant | Frank T. Campbell |
| Preceded by | Joshua G. Newbold |
| Succeeded by | Buren R. Sherman |
| Speaker of theIowa House of Representatives | |
| In office 1874–1878 | |
| Member of theIowa House of Representatives from the2nd district | |
| In office January 8, 1872 – January 13, 1878 | |
| Mayor ofBurlington, Iowa | |
| In office 1863–1867 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1825-04-07)April 7, 1825 Ithaca, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 14, 1900(1900-07-14) (aged 75) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Aspen Grove Cemetery Burlington, Iowa, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Harriet Foot (m.1852) |
| Children | 4 |
| Signature |  |
John Henry Gear (April 7, 1825 – July 14, 1900) served as the11th governor of Iowa, aUnited States representative and a member of theUnited States Senate.
Born inIthaca, New York,[1][2] to Protestant minister E. G. Gear,[3] he attended the common schools and moved toGalena, Illinois, in 1836,[2] toFort Snelling, Minnesota,[1][2][3] in 1838, and toBurlington, Iowa[1][2][3] in 1843, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits.[2]
He was electedmayor of Burlington in 1863[1][2][3] and as a member of theIowa House of Representatives from 1871 to 1877, serving asSpeaker for two terms.[1][2][3][4]
He ran for governor of Iowa in 1876 and won, receiving 121,546 votes, against 79,353 for John P. Irish, 10,639 for Elias Jessup and 38,228 for D. P. Stubbs.[3] His plurality over Irish was 42,193.[3] He was inaugurated January 17, 1878.[3] He was re-elected in 1879 by a vote of: Gear, 157,571; Trimble, 85,056; Campbell, 45,439; Dungan, 3,258, Gear's majority over all competitors, 23,828.[3] His second inauguration took place in January 1880.[1][2][3] During his tenure, he aimed to reduce the large state deficit, left by previous administrations and he secured legislation that dissolved the state's Civil War debt.[1][3]
He was elected as aRepublican to representIowa's 1st congressional district in theU.S. House for theFiftieth andFifty-first Congresses, serving from March 4, 1887, to March 3, 1891.[1][2] He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1890,[2] but was appointed by PresidentBenjamin Harrison asAssistant Secretary of the Treasury, serving from 1892 to 1893.[1][2] He returned to the U.S. House for one final term, winning the 1892 1st district election, then serving in theFifty-third Congress, from March 4, 1893, to March 3, 1895.[1][2]
In 1894, Gear was elected by theIowa General Assembly to the United States Senate. He was reelected in 1900. He served from March 4, 1895, until his death on July 14, 1900, before the start of his second term.[1] He had been chairman of theUnited States Senate Committee on Pacific Railroads in theFifty-fourth throughFifty-Sixth Congresses.[2]
He married Harriet Foot, who hailed from Vermont, in 1852 and had 4 children with her.[3]
He died, aged 75, inWashington, D.C., and his interment was inAspen Grove Cemetery in Burlington.[1][2][5]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nomineeGovernor of Iowa 1877,1879 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Iowa 1878–1882 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 1st congressional district March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1891 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 1st congressional district March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Iowa 1895–1900 Served alongside:William B. Allison | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| Territorial(1838–1846) | ||
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| State(since 1846) | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
