Henry George Jr.
The son who carried the torch of the single-tax movement into Congress, advocating for his father's radical economic vision from inside the political establishment.
1862–1916 (age 54)·American politician·Birthday: November 3·The Gilded Age
Biography
Henry George Jr. lived a life shaped by his father's monumental shadow. The elder Henry George, author of the bestselling 'Progress and Poverty,' was a global economic reformer who advocated for a single tax on land value. The younger George, born in 1862, first worked as a newspaperman, a trade he learned from his father. He served as a correspondent in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War and later managed the New York-based newspaper, The Standard, which was the organ of the single-tax movement. This background propelled him into politics. Elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York in 1910, he served two terms. In Congress, he was a persistent, if solitary, voice for his father's ideas, introducing bills to implement land-value taxation and arguing that economic justice required breaking up monopolies on natural resources. His tenure was less about legislative victory—the single tax never gained mainstream traction—and more about faithful stewardship. He ensured that Georgist philosophy had a direct advocate on the floor of Congress, bridging the gap between a populist economic crusade and the formal machinery of American government.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Henry was born in 1862, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Henry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1862
Henry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1862Born
President: Abraham Lincoln
1867Started school
President: Andrew Johnson
1875Became a teenager
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1878Could drive
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1880Could vote
Edison patents the incandescent light bulb
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1883Turned 21
President: Chester A. Arthur
1892Turned 30
President: Benjamin Harrison
1902Turned 40
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1912Turned 50
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1916Died at 54
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
Key Achievements
- Served two terms as a U.S. Representative from New York (61st and 62nd Congresses) from 1911 to 1915.
- Acted as the primary congressional advocate for the single-tax (Georgist) economic philosophy developed by his father.
- Managed and wrote for the New York newspaper 'The Standard,' the leading publication of the single-tax movement.
- Served as a war correspondent for the New York Journal during the Spanish-American War in the Philippines.
Did You Know?
He was named after his father, the famous economist Henry George.
Before politics, he worked as a stenographer and a newspaper reporter.
He was a member of the Democratic Party but was primarily identified with the single-tax cause above party loyalty.
He authored a biography of his father, 'The Life of Henry George,' published after his own death.
“My father's single tax principle is the only antidote to monopoly and poverty.”
