George H. Large
Encyclopedia
George Hall Large was an American lawyer and Republican Party politician who served as President of the New Jersey Senate
. He was also the longest surviving participant in the first ever college football
game in 1869
.
, New Jersey
, the son of John K. and Eliza (Hall) Large. He was tutored at local schools before attending Rutgers College
.
On November 6, 1869, Large was one of 25 Rutgers players to face The College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
) in the first intercollegiate football game ever played, at College Field in New Brunswick, New Jersey
. Midway through the game, Large collided with Princeton player J.E. Michael, known as "Big Mike." Large was knocked unconscious but was revived after several minutes. Rutgers went on to win the game by a score of 6-4.
At Rutgers, Large was also associate editor of The Targum
. He graduated in 1872.
and then opened his own law office in 1882.
In 1885, Large ran successfully for the New Jersey Senate
on the Republican ticket. He was the first Republican elected to the State Senate from traditionally Democratic Hunterdon County
. In 1888, he was selected as Senate President, and he served as Acting Governor when Governor Robert S. Green was out of the state.
In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison
appointed Large the Collector of Internal Revenue
for New Jersey's Fifth District. He served in this position for five years before returning to private practice.
Large joined with his son, George K. Large, to establish the Flemington law firm of Large & Large (later known as Large, Scammell & Danziger). From 1900, he owned the Greek Revival
mansion on Main Street in Flemington designed in 1847 for James N. Reading (now known as the Reading-Large House).
trial. Edwin K. Large served as postmaster of Atlanta, Georgia
.
Large outlived all of the other participants in the 1869 Rutgers-Princeton game. On November 5, 1938, when Rutgers defeated Princeton for the first time since the original game, Large was on hand for the victory. Coincidentally, William Preston Lane, the last surviving Princeton player, had died that morning.
In 1939, Large died at his Flemington home at the age of 88.
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
. He was also the longest surviving participant in the first ever college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game in 1869
1869 college football season
The 1869 college football season was the first season of intercollegiate football. It is considered the inaugural college football season, and consisted of only two total games, both of which occurred between the and ; The first was played on November 6 at Rutgers' campus, and the second was...
.
Early life
Large was born in 1850 in Whitehouse, Hunterdon CountyHunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 128,349. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, the son of John K. and Eliza (Hall) Large. He was tutored at local schools before attending Rutgers College
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
.
On November 6, 1869, Large was one of 25 Rutgers players to face The College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
) in the first intercollegiate football game ever played, at College Field in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
. Midway through the game, Large collided with Princeton player J.E. Michael, known as "Big Mike." Large was knocked unconscious but was revived after several minutes. Rutgers went on to win the game by a score of 6-4.
At Rutgers, Large was also associate editor of The Targum
The Daily Targum
The Daily Targum is the official student newspaper of Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey. Founded in 1869, it is the second-oldest collegiate newspaper in the United States. The Daily Targum is student written and managed, and boasts a circulation of 18,000...
. He graduated in 1872.
Legal and political career
After graduating from Rutgers, Large read law and was admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1875. He first practiced law with his brother-in-law John N. Voorhees in FlemingtonFlemington, New Jersey
Flemington is a borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 4,581. It is the county seat of Hunterdon County....
and then opened his own law office in 1882.
In 1885, Large ran successfully for the New Jersey Senate
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
on the Republican ticket. He was the first Republican elected to the State Senate from traditionally Democratic Hunterdon County
Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 128,349. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington....
. In 1888, he was selected as Senate President, and he served as Acting Governor when Governor Robert S. Green was out of the state.
In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
appointed Large the Collector of Internal Revenue
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
for New Jersey's Fifth District. He served in this position for five years before returning to private practice.
Large joined with his son, George K. Large, to establish the Flemington law firm of Large & Large (later known as Large, Scammell & Danziger). From 1900, he owned the Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
mansion on Main Street in Flemington designed in 1847 for James N. Reading (now known as the Reading-Large House).
Later life
Large married the former Josephine Ramsey on November 15, 1877, and she died not long before their sixtieth anniversary, on January 5, 1937. They had three children: George Knowles (born February 3, 1879), Edwin Kirk (born August 14, 1880), and Helen Brokaw (born August 12, 1889). George K. Large served as judge of the Hunterdon County Court of Common Pleas and was an assistant prosecutor in the Lindbergh kidnappingLindbergh kidnapping
The kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., was the abduction of the son of aviator Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The toddler, 18 months old at the time, was abducted from his family home in East Amwell, New Jersey, near the town of Hopewell, New Jersey, on the evening of...
trial. Edwin K. Large served as postmaster of Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
Large outlived all of the other participants in the 1869 Rutgers-Princeton game. On November 5, 1938, when Rutgers defeated Princeton for the first time since the original game, Large was on hand for the victory. Coincidentally, William Preston Lane, the last surviving Princeton player, had died that morning.
In 1939, Large died at his Flemington home at the age of 88.
External links
- George H. Large at The Political GraveyardThe Political GraveyardThe Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 224,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information.-History:...