George H. Large

George Hall Large (December 1, 1850 – August 15, 1939) 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 played in 1869.

Early life Large was born in 1850 in the Whitehouse Station section of Readington Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, the son of John K. and Eliza (Hall) Large. He was tutored at local schools before attending Rutgers College.

Rutgers

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 Jacob Edwin Michael, known as "Big Mike." Large was knocked unconscious but was revived after several minutes. Large was only 5’ 8” tall. 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.

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 Flemington and then opened his own law office in 1882. In 1888, he was selected as Senate President.

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. From 1900, he owned the Greek Revival mansion located at 117 Main Street in Flemington, designed in 1847 for James N. Reading (now known as the Reading-Large House). The historic Reading-Large house is currently occupied by the law firm of Large, Scammell & Danziger LLC and other businesses.

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).

In 1939, Large died at his Flemington home at the age of 88.