George W. Lininger

George W. Lininger (1834-1907), was an implement dealer, art collector, private gallery owner, and civic leader in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Many of the art works Lininger collected became the foundation of the permanent collection at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha.

Early life George Washington Lininger was born on 14 December 1834 in Chambersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, the son of David Lininger and Elizabeth Betz. His father was a tailor by trade, and later a school teacher and a miller. The family moved to Peru in LaSalle County, Illinois, when Lininger was a boy. After arriving in Omaha, Lininger purchased a large brick Second Empire mansion at 18th and Davenport Streets. The house had been built in the late 1860s by George M. Mills.

After Lininger's death, his widow continued opening the art gallery to the public. This practice continued into the 1920s, until Mrs. Lininger's age no longer allowed her to provide the supervision required. By the time the Lininger's only daughter, Florence Lininger Haller, died in 1929, the art work had all been sold. In the early 1930s, Lininger's former house and gallery were razed.

In addition to collecting art, Lininger also nurtured artists. In 1890, Lininger agreed to pay for Gutzon Borglum (who later carved Mount Rushmore) to travel to Europe for two to three years to study art. In thanking Lininger for his generosity Borglum vowed, "I shall work hard with the hope of doing something that may reflect credit upon the friends who have expressed so much faith in my abilities."

Civic leader In addition to sharing his art with the public, Lininger also freely gave his time and energy to civic duties. He was a representative to the twenty-eighth session of the Nebraska State Legislature, as a representative for Douglas County, when it convened on January 4, 1887. Lininger was a member and the first president of the Park Board, and a member of the Omaha Commercial Club.

Personal life In 1857, Lininger married Caroline Marion Newman at Peru, Illinois. The couple had two children, a son and a daughter, but only their daughter, Florence, survived to adulthood.

Lininger was a friend of the Omaha-based portrait artist, J. Laurie Wallace. A portrait of Lininger by Wallace hung in Lininger's art gallery.

After an extended illness of several months, Lininger died on 9 June 1907 in his home in Omaha. His body lay in state in his beloved art gallery for two days before burial in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Omaha.