#15: Joseph H. Geiger, 1881-1883

Joseph H. Geiger was an attorney, Pickaway County Prosecuting Attorney, general in the Ohio Militia, Ohio Senator, and briefly served as a clerk of the United States courts in Cincinnati before his appointment as State Librarian. Geiger was known for his charming personality and oratorical skill, but also for his odd and eccentric ways. As a political appointee of Governor Charles Foster, Geiger had his opponents. One went so far as to claim the library was in such a filthy condition that it kept visitors away. However, the Annual Report of the Commissioners of the State Library for 1882, stated the library was now a source of pride. “We believe the library has never been in a better condition than now. It is clean, books all carefully arranged, and visitors are well accommodated. We recommend an appropriation for new furniture, and if a new carpet were finished in addition, our State Library would equal, if not excel, any State Library in the Union.” The report also noted an increase in students from Ohio State University using the library. Following his death, Geiger’s obituary read, “There was but one mould when he was born and thereafter broken. He died leaving none to rival or imitate him.”