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Founded
in 1922, the GREATER GEARY BLVD. MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION
continues to be instrumental in implementing improvements
to Geary Boulevard, and maintaining the powerful image
of its namesake, John W. Geary. Geary Boulevard,
which was originally called the Point Lobos Toll Road,
was named after the first mayor of San Francisco, John
W. Geary. Geary, a Pennsylvanian, first saw San Francisco
on April Fools' Day, 1849, when he was welcomed to the
City as San Francisco's first Postmaster. The City was
ecstatic as its mail service left much to be desired.
After finding a place to live for his wife and child,
Geary established the first Post Office at a little
storefront at Montgomery and Washington Streets. The
efficiency with which he ran the Post Office earned
him considerable respect and he became a leading citizen.
In August
of 1849 to his great surprise, he was nominated for
Mayor, and subsequently became the sixth and last American
Alcalde. As such he was expected to perform as Sheriff,
Recorder, Coroner and Magistrate. Unfortunately, due
to the Gold Rush, this was a time of chaos and crime
in the streets. Geary purchased an abandoned brig, the
Euphemia, and converted it into a City jail, appointed
police officers, organized a chain-gang for street
improvements, and dramatically improved the situation.
After a year, in May 1850, the first City Charter was
adopted and Geary became Mayor in a landslide election.
During the
earlier disorders he had sent his wife and two children
back to the relative safety of Pennsylvania. At the
end of his mayoralty he decided to leave the City and
join them there. Geary left San Francisco on February
1, 1852, but not before presenting his adopted city
with a deed to the entire area where Union Square now
stands. He never returned, but in 1865 he moved to Kansas
and was elected Governor of that state. Later he returned
again to Pennsylvania and served as Governor there as
well. He died in 1873.
Today Geary
Boulevard continues to serve as a vital passageway between
the Financial District and the Richmond. There are over
seventy restaurants, a major hospital, numerous hair
salons, real estate brokers, dentists and automotive
shops. |
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