The eleventh to hold the highest official position in the State of Iowa was John H. Gear, of Burlington. He is yet living in that city. He was born in Ithaca, New York, April 7, 1825. His father was Rev. E. G. Gear, a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal church, who was born in New London, Connecticut, in 1792. When he was quite young his family removed to Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts; in 1816, after being ordained, he emigrated to New York and settled at Onondaga Hill, near which is now the thriving city of Syracuse. Soon after locating there he was married to Miranda E. Cook. He was engaged in the ministry in various places in Western New York until 1836, when he removed to Galena, Illinois. There he remained until 1838, when he was appointed Chaplain in the United States Army at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. He died in 1874, aged eighty-two years.

     John H., his only son, in 1843, came to Burlington, where he has since continued to reside. On his arrival he commenced his mercantile career by engaging as clerk with the firm of Bridgeman & Bros. After being with this firm for a little over a year he entered the employ of W. F. Coolbaugh (since president of the Union National Bank, of Chicago), who was even at that early date the leading merchant of Eastern Iowa. He was clerk for Coolbaugh for about five years, and was then taken into partnership. The firm of W. F. Coolbaugh & Co. continued in business for nearly five years, when Mr. Gear succeeded to the business by purchase, and carried it on until he became known as the oldest wholesale grocer in the State. He is now president of a large rolling mill company at Burlington.

     Mr. Gear has been honored by his fellow-citizens with many positions of trust. In 1852 he was elected alderman; in 1863 was elected mayor over A. W. Carpenter, being the first Republican up to that time who had been elected in Burlington on a party issue. In 1867 the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Minnesota Railroad Company was organized, and he was chosen as its president. His efforts highly contributed to the success of the enterprise, which did much for Burlington. He was also active in promoting the Burlington & Southwestern Railway, as well as the Burlington & Northwestern narrow-gauge road.

     He has always acted with the Republican party, and in 1871 was nominated and elected a member of the House of Representatives of the Fourteenth General Assembly. In 1873 he was elected to the Fifteenth General Assembly. The Republican caucus of the house nominated him for Speaker by acclimation, and after a contest of two weeks he was chosen over his opponent, J. W. Dixon. He filled the position of Speaker very acceptably, and at the close of the session all the members of the House, independent of party affiliations, joined in signing their names to a resolution of thanks, which was engraved and presented to him. In 1875 he was the third time nominated to the Assembly by the Republican party, and while his county gave a large Democratic vote he was again elected. He was also again nominated for Speaker, by the Republican caucus, and was elected by a handsome majority over his competitor, Hon. John Y. Stone. He is the only man in the State who ever had the honor of being chosen to this high position a second time. He enjoys the reputation of being an able parliamentarian, his ruling never having been appealed from. At the close of the session he again received the unanimous thanks of the House for his courtesy and impartiality.

     In 1877 he was nominated for Governor by the Republican convention which met at Des Moines, June 2, and at the election held the following October he received 121,546 votes, against 79,353 for John P. Irish, 10,639 for Elias Jessup, and 38,228 for D. P. Stubbs. His plurality over Irish was 42, 193. He was inaugurated January 17, 1878, and served four years, being re-elected in 1879, by the following handsome vote: Gear, 157,571; Trimble, 85,056; Campbell, 45,439; Dungan, 3,258; Gear’s majority over all competitors, 23,828. His second inauguration was in January, 1880.

     Governor Gear’s business habits enabled him to discharge the duties of his office with marked ability. He found the financial condition of the State in a low ebb, but raised Iowa’s credit to that of the best of our States. In his last biennial message he was able to report: “The warrants out-standing, but not bearing interest, September 30, 1881 amounted to $22,093.74, and there are now in the treasury ample funds to meet the current expenses of the State. The war and defense debt has been paid, except the warrants for $125,000 negotiated by the executive, auditor and treasurer, under the law of the Eighteenth General Assembly, and $2,500 of the original bonds not yet presented for payment. The only other debt owing by the State amounts to $245,435,19, due to the permanent school fund, a portion of which is made irredeemable by the Constitution. These facts place Iowa practically among the States which have no debt, a consideration which must add much to her reputation. The expenses of the State for the last two years are less than those of any other period since 1869, and this notwithstanding the fact that the State is to-day sustaining several institutions not then in existence; namely, the hospital at Independence, the additional penitentiary, the normal school, and the asylum for the feeble-minded children, besides the girl’s department of the reform school. The State also, at present, makes provision for fish culture, for a useful weather service, for sanitary supervision by a board of health, for encouraging immigration to the State, for the inspection of coal mines by a State inspector, and liberally for the military arm of the Government.”

     Governor Gear is now in the sixty-first year of his age, and is in the full vigor of both his mental and physical faculties. He was married in 1852 to Harriet S. Foot, formerly of Middlebury, Vermont, by whom he has had four children, two of whom are living.

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