George McCrary | |
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| Judge of theUnited States Circuit Courts for the Eighth Circuit | |
| In office December 9, 1879 – March 18, 1884 | |
| Appointed by | Rutherford B. Hayes |
| Preceded by | John Forrest Dillon |
| Succeeded by | David J. Brewer |
| 33rdUnited States Secretary of War | |
| In office March 12, 1877 – December 9, 1879 | |
| President | Rutherford B. Hayes |
| Preceded by | J. Donald Cameron |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Ramsey |
| Chair of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877 | |
| Leader | Michael C. Kerr Samuel J. Randall |
| Preceded by | Horace Maynard |
| Succeeded by | Eugene Hale |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1877 | |
| Preceded by | James F. Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Champlin Stone |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Washington McCrary (1835-08-29)August 29, 1835 Evansville,Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | June 23, 1890(1890-06-23) (aged 54) St. Joseph,Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
George Washington McCrary (August 29, 1835 – June 23, 1890) was aUnited States representative from Iowa, the 33rdUnited States Secretary of War and aUnited States circuit judge of theUnited States Circuit Courts for the Eighth Circuit.
Born on August 29, 1835, nearEvansville,Vanderburg County,Indiana,[1] McCrary moved with his parents in 1836 to theWisconsin Territory (Iowa Territory from July 4, 1838, State ofIowa from December 28, 1846) who settled inVan Buren County.[2][3] He attended the public schools, taught in the country schools at age 18,[3]read law at thelaw firm of futureUnited States Supreme Court JusticeSamuel Freeman Miller.[3]
He was admitted to the bar in 1856.[1] He entered private practice inKeokuk,Iowa from 1856 to 1857.[1] He was a member of theIowa House of Representatives in 1857, resuming private practice in Keokuk from 1858 to 1861.[1] He was a member of theIowa Senate from 1861 to 1865,[4] again resuming private practice in Keokuk from 1862 to 1869.[1][5]
In 1868, McCrary successfully sought a U.S. House seat fromIowa's 1st congressional district to succeedRadical RepublicanJames F. Wilson. He was elected as aRepublican from the district to theUnited States House of Representatives of the41st United States Congress and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1869, to March 3, 1877.[6] He was Chairman of the Committee on Elections for the42nd United States Congress and Chairman of the Committee on Railways and Canals for the43rd United States Congress.[6] He was not a candidate for renomination in 1876.[6]
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.[7] He publishedA Treatise on the American Law of Elections, in 1875.[3][8] In the44th United States Congress, as a member of theUnited States House Committee on the Judiciary, he was the author of a farsighted (but unsuccessful) bill to reorganize the federal courts to enable reasonable and prompt judicial review.[9] He helped create the Electoral Commission to resolve the outcome of the1876 Presidential Election, and served on the committee that investigated theCrédit Mobilier scandal.[3]
Maintaining his passion for law, McCrary established an expertise in contested elections and laws pertaining to elections.[10] He publishedA 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,"[11] the loosely organized and moremoderate wing of the Republican Party (in comparison to the pro-spoils systemStalwarts) which emphasized industrial interests and protectivetariffs in addition to supportingcivil service reform.
McCrary was the 33rdUnited States Secretary of War in the cabinet of PresidentRutherford B. Hayes from March 12, 1877, to December 11, 1879, when he resigned.[12] As Secretary, McCrary withdrew federal troops from the remaining reconstruction governments inSouth Carolina andLouisiana, and used federal troops in the 1877 railway strike and in Mexican border disturbances.[3] The greatest military conflicts during his watch occurred in the American West, in battles with certainNative American tribes inColorado,New Mexico, and elsewhere.[13]
McCrary was elected as a 3rd Class (honorary) member of theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS).[citation needed] This was probably due to President Hayes' influence as a prominent member of MOLLUS.[citation needed] (Hayes would later serve as MOLLUS commander-in-chief.)[citation needed]
McCrary was nominated by PresidentRutherford B. Hayes on December 1, 1879, to a seat on theUnited States Circuit Courts for the Eighth Circuit vacated by JudgeJohn Forrest Dillon.[1] He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on December 9, 1879, and received his commission the same day.[1] 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.[1][3][14]
Following his resignation from the federal bench, McCrary resumed private practice inKansas City,Missouri from 1884 to 1890.[1] He served as general counsel for theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company in Kansas City, Missouri from 1884 to 1890.[3][14] He died on June 23, 1890, inSt. Joseph, Missouri,[1] after suffering from a stomach tumor.[2] He was interred in Oakland Cemetery in Keokuk.[6]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromIowa's 1st congressional district 1869–1877 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Chair of the House Republican Conference 1875–1877 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | United States Secretary of War 1877–1879 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States Circuit Courts for the Eighth Circuit 1879–1884 | Succeeded by |
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