George W. Bailey Jr. (April 6, 1833 – July 17, 1865) was a Vermont attorney and public official. He served for four years as Secretary of State of Vermont.
George Washington Bailey Jr. was born in Elmore, Vermont on April 6, 1833;[1][2] he was the son of George W. Bailey Sr. (1768-1868) and Rebecca Warren Bailey (1802-1885), and named for an older brother who was born in 1826 and died in 1831. The senior Bailey was a veteran of the War of 1812, and the longtime president of the Vermont Mutual Insurance Company.[3] He also served as probate judge for Washington County and in other offices.[3]
George Bailey Jr. studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1858.[4] He resided in Middlesex and practiced in Montpelier.[4]
A Republican, Bailey served as Deputy Secretary of State while Benjamin W. Dean was Secretary of State.[5] Dean died in July, 1861; Bailey served as acting secretary pending an election in October.[6] In October, Bailey was elected to a full term.[6] He won annual reelection three times, and served until his death.[7]
Bailey died of tuberculosis in Middlesex on July 17, 1865.[2] He was buried at Green Mount Cemetery in Montpelier.[8]
In 1862, Bailey married Georgiana Reed of Montpelier.[9] After his death, she married E. Henry Powell, Vermont's longtime State Auditor.[10]