Tony George
One of the most familiar figures in Grant County and of the most likeable of men is Tony George, ex-sheriff of Grant County. As one who fought the battles of life independent of help from his earliest boyhood, his success ahs been manifestly of his own making and he is deserving of all credit for the progress he has made and the prosperity he has experienced. Born at Antwerp, Paulding county, Ohio, on May 3, 1871, he is the son of Anthony and Caroline (Raddenbaugh) George, natives of Germany and Ohio, respectively.
Anthony George was a butcher by trade, and he came to America when he was about twenty-seven years of age. He died when his son was about two years old, his death occurring in Paulding County, Ohio, and there the mother also died a few yeas later. They had three children, the others being Anna, who is the widow of Charles Huffner, of Defiance, Ohio, and Lulu, who is the widow of Gus Kerns. Some time after the death of Anthony George, his widow married frank Wisemettle, and to them were born seven children, five of whom now survive, namely John, Frank, Joe, Carl and Leo.
The education that Tony George received in his boyhood days in Antwerp, Ohio, was a limited one, and did not extend past his eleventh year. At that age he was put to work in a factory to add what he could to the support of the family. He began in a stave factory, later going into a hoop factory, and he continued in that work for some little time. He set himself to learn the trade of a baker in Antwerp, and he finished his apprenticeship in 1888, after he had come to Marion. He worked here for a short while, then left Marion and was employed in Toledo and other Ohio cities. He later moved in a southerly direction and for a time Memphis and other southern cities claimed his attention. In time he returned to the north and from Antwerp, Ohio, made his way back to Marion, Indiana, which has since represented his home and the center of his business activities. Until May 5, 1897, he followed his trade as a baker, and in that month he became a member of the local police force, with the rank of sergeant continuing in that capacity until April 19, 1901, when he resigned. For two years thereafter he was engaged in his old work and again gave it up to identify himself with the local police force, this time as captain of the force. During the time he served thus he was recognized as one of the most capable and efficient officers the service had ever known in Marion, and he was one of the most popular with his men. He continued in that office with all success until he was nominated by the Republican party in 1908 for the office of Sheriff of Grant County, and he was duly elected to the position, assuming the duties of his office on January 1, 1909. He was re-elected in 1910 and continued in consecutive service for four years. His regime as incumbent of the office of sheriff was one of the most efficient the county has ever known. He gave no quarter to criminals of whatever order, and his was a veritable "reign of terror" to evil-doers. Of a gang of thirteen horse thieves that he rounded up and captured, nine served prison terms, and during his term of office, he apprehended and dealt with nine murderers. In short, his official career as sheriff was characterized by the most praiseworthy and efficient service in the office, and he proved himself an honest and fearless servant of the public, whose confidence in him was manifestly well places, and merited to the last moment of his official connection with the position.
On July 20, 1892, Mr. George was married to Tillie Gilpin, the daughter of George and Hannah Gilpin, of Grant County, Indiana. One son was born to them, Rex George, whose birth occurred on October 2, 1893. He was graduated from the Marion High School in 1910, when he was seventeen years old, and he is now a student in the Indiana State University at Bloomington.
Mr. George is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Loyal Order of Moose, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Orioles. He is president of the Gifford Gun Club, and is one of the well known sportsmen of the town and county. Gifford Club, which is one of the representative gun clubs of the State, has five sections of land leased in the vicinity of Kankakee, Illinois, and has long known the influence and support of Mr. George. Mr. George received from the club at one time as a token of the esteem and appreciation of its members, a handsome and valuable ring, which he wears with considerable pride, in which he is well justified. Mr. George is also president of the Grant county Protective and Indemnifying Association, which has a membership of five hundred men, and which was organized for protection against horse thieves. As president of this association for the past four years, he has done excellent work in the best interests of the organization, and the association as such is thoroughly appreciative of the character of his interest. He is one of the most popular men in the county, and numbers his friends by the score, and it is a pleasure to record that his immense popularity is not one of ephemeral quality, but is founded upon genuine respect and esteem, and a thorough understanding of him and the many excellent qualities that characterize the man.
Centennial History of Grant County Indiana 1812-1912. The Lewis Publishing Co., 1914.