George Freaner

George Freaner (January 20, 1831 – November 10, 1878) was an American politician and lawyer from Maryland. In the 1850s, he lived in California and was associated with papers there. He served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates in 1860 before serving as an officer in the Confederate States Army. He served again in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1874 to 1876.

Early life and family George Freaner was born on January 20, 1831, in Hagerstown, Maryland, to Sarah (née Chambers) and Henry Freaner. His cousin John A. Freaner was deputy sheriff of San Francisco. His cousin James L. Freaner was a journalist who was reportedly killed by the Pit River Tribe. His brother U. B. Freaner was a newspaper publisher.

Freaner graduated from Hagerstown Academy.

Career In 1852, Freaner moved to California. In 1853, he published Union, a newspaper that grew out of the Mountain Herald, in Yreka. He also served as the paper's editor. He then moved to San Francisco and worked as a writer of editorials in the San Francisco Herald and as associate editor of the Oakland Times and Transcript. He also practiced law in San Francisco and in Oakland. He was one of California's presidential electors of James Buchanan in 1856.

In 1857, Freaner returned to Hagerstown and began practicing law there, remaining associated with Wason and Smith. In 1859, he was elected as a Democrat to the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Washington County. He served as chairman of the elections committee and investigated the Plug Uglies. He resigned his seat towards the end of the session on March 7, 1860, after he was informed he wasn't constitutionally eligible to serve in the body since he was not a resident of Maryland three years prior to the election. He then returned to his law practice. In 1867, he was appointed as auditor of the Circuit Court of Washington County. He remained in that role until his death. He was appointed by Governor Oden Bowie as trustee of the Washington County Confederate Cemetery, a portion of the Rose Hill Cemetery established for the graves of Confederate soldiers. He also served as the cemetery's treasurer.

Personal life Freaner married Sallie A. (née Fechtig) Murray, daughter of Mary E. and George Fechtig, of Hagerstown on January 19, 1871. They had two daughters, Jessie and Lucie Dubois. He was a member of the Society of the Army and Navy of the Confederate States.

Freaner died of a heart ailment on November 10, 1878, in New York City. He was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. One of his pallbearers was Henry Kyd Douglas.