Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2020/Fall/105/Section059/Charles H. Geer

Charles H. Geer

Biography

Charles H. Geer was born in Troup, Country, Georgia in 1860. During his early years, Geer was a very smart and independent individual. By the time he was 11, he was self-supporting financially and putting himself through college. He received college training from North Georgia Agricultural and Mechanical College at Dahlonega. Through the years he made his way from selling love letters to other boys to give away to a publisher of a newspaper by 17. His rise to newspaper success started when he moved to Alabama and began working at the Old Montgomery Morning News at 16. Soon Geer moved to the publisher’s role at a paper in Randolph County at the age of 17. Geer was extremely hard working saying that he started off by working 18 hours a day and doing every step from writing to mailing all by himself.

Not only was Geer a successful newspaper writer, but he also used this success to help his community. He installed a rural telephone for his community, brought a farming school to his area, and secured the first government soil survey in the country.

Life in the 1900’s

During the 1900’s most of the population lived in rural areas. This is because many Americans were settling on the plains as a result of the Homestead act. The Homestead act which was put in place in 1862 during the civil war allowed anyone to claim 160 acres of land with an obligation of ‘improving the land’. This greatly increased westward expansion.

The impact of Newspaper in the 1900s 

In 1820 there were a little more than 500 newspapers with a regular audience of around 300,000 people. But by 1860 there was almost 3000 newspaper reaching a regular audience of 1.5 million people. During this time period newspaper was the main source of information for the general public. This creates a huge social responsibility for the individual in control of a newspaper company. This means that whoever controls the newspaper can control the public.

Significant Social Impacts

Geer was an extremely well-respected newspaper writer and His writing affected more than just his immediate area

Geer was so well respected as a newspaper writer he is credited with the beginning of the movement for and industrial school for girls this school is still around today. Geer did this by writing an editorial discussing the need for an industrial school for girls and sending it to every legislator. As a result of Geers editorial, a bill was created and promptly passes creating the school.

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