George Washington Fleeger

George Washington Fleeger (March 13, 1839 – June 25, 1904) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. He was born on March 13, 1839, in Concord Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, where he spent his early years in a rural community typical of western Pennsylvania in the mid-nineteenth century. He attended the local common schools and continued his education at West Sunbury Academy, an institution that prepared many young men of the region for professional and public life.

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Fleeger entered military service in defense of the Union. He enlisted in the Union Army on June 10, 1861, as a private in Company C of the 11th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment. Demonstrating ability and leadership, he was commissioned a first lieutenant in June 1862. Over the course of his service he was brevetted captain, a recognition of meritorious conduct, and he remained in the Army until March 13, 1865, serving through much of the conflict that preserved the Union and reshaped the nation.

Following his military service, Fleeger turned to the study of law, reflecting the common postwar path of many veterans who entered the professions and public affairs. He read law and was admitted to the bar in 1866. He commenced the practice of law in Butler, Pennsylvania, the county seat of his native Butler County, where he established himself as an attorney and became active in local civic and political life.

Fleeger’s formal political career began at the state level. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and served as a state legislator in 1871 and 1872. His work in the state legislature coincided with the Reconstruction era, a period of significant political and social change. Beyond elective office, he became an influential party figure, serving as chairman of the Republican State central committee, a role that placed him at the center of party organization and strategy in Pennsylvania. He was also a delegate to Republican state conventions in 1882 and 1890, participating in the selection of candidates and the shaping of party platforms.

Building on his legal and legislative experience, Fleeger was elected as a Republican to the Forty-ninth Congress, representing Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives for one term. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history marked by industrial expansion, debates over tariffs and economic policy, and the continuing adjustment to the post–Civil War order. As a member of the Republican Party representing Pennsylvania, he contributed to the legislative process, participated in the democratic governance of the nation, and represented the interests of his constituents in the national legislature.

After completing his single term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Fleeger returned to Butler, Pennsylvania, where he resumed the practice of law. He continued to be regarded as a respected member of the bar and a figure of standing in the community, drawing on his combined experience as a Civil War veteran, state legislator, party leader, and former congressman.

George Washington Fleeger died in Butler, Pennsylvania, on June 25, 1904. He was interred in North Cemetery in Butler. His life reflected the trajectory of many nineteenth-century American public men who combined military service, legal practice, and political office, and his career linked local, state, and national public service during a transformative era in United States history.