Gerome \zha-'rom\, Jean-Leon (b. May 11,1824, Vesoul, France—d. Jan. 10, 1904, Paris) French painter, sculptor, and teacher. Son of a gold¬ smith, he studied in Paris and painted melodramatic and often erotic his¬ torical and mythological compositions, excelling as a draftsman in the linear style of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. His best-known works are scenes inspired by several visits to Egypt. In his later years he produced mostly sculpture. He exerted much influence as a teacher at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts; his pupils included Odilon Redon and Thomas Eakins. A staunch defender of the academic tradition, he tried in 1893 to block the government’s acceptance of the Impressionist works bequeathed by Gustave Caillebotte.
Geronimo yjo-'ra-no-.moN (b. June 1829, No-Doyohn Canyon, Mex.—d. Feb. 17, 1909, Fort Sill, Okla., U.S.) Chiricahua Apache leader. In the 1870s Geronimo led a revolt of 4,000 Apaches who had been forc¬ ibly removed by U.S. authorities to a barren reservation in east-central Arizona. Years of turmoil and bloodshed followed; Geronimo finally sur¬ rendered in 1884, only to escape with a band of followers. On a false promise of safe return to Arizona, Geronimo was arrested (1886) and put to hard labour. He was later placed on a reservation at Fort Sill, Okla.; there he dictated his autobiography, Geronimo: His Own Story.
gerontology and geriatrics \jer-9n-'tal-9-je...Jer-e- , a-triks\ Scien¬ tific and medical disciplines, respectively, concerned with all aspects of health and disease in the elderly and with the normal aging process. Ger¬ ontology is concerned primarily with the changes that occur between maturity and death and with the factors that influence these changes. It addresses the social and economic effects of an aging population and the physiological and psychological aspects of aging to learn about the aging process and possibly minimize disabilities. Geriatrics deals with preven¬ tion and treatment of diseases once assumed to be inevitable in the eld¬ erly. See also aging.
gerousia \j3-'ru-zhe-3\ In ancient Sparta, the council of elders, one of two chief organs of the Spartan state, the other being the apella. The ger¬ ousia prepared business submitted to the apella and had extensive judi¬ cial powers: it alone pronounced sentences of death or exile. Its 30 members, the gerontes (“elders”), including the two kings, were chosen for life by acclamation of the citizens from among candidates of age 60 or older.
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756 I Gerry ► get
Gerry \'ger-e\, Elbridge (b. July 17, 1744, Marblehead, Mass.—d. Nov. 23, 1814, Washington, D.C., U.S.) U.S. statesman. An early advo¬ cate of independence, he was a member of the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. After serving in the U.S. House of Representatives (1789-93), he was sent to France in 1797 with John Mar¬ shall and Charles C. Pinckney to resolve disputes that resulted in the XYZ Affair. During his term as governor of Massachusetts (1810-11) the state legislature redrew district lines to favour Democratic-Republican candi¬ dates against the Federalists, a practice that became known as gerryman¬ dering. In 1812 he advocated war with Britain and was elected vice president on a ticket with James Madison.
gerrymandering \'jer-e-,man-drir)\ Drawing of electoral district lines in a way that gives advantage to a particular political party. The practice is named after Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry, who submitted to the state senate a redistricting plan that would have concentrated the voting strength of the Federalist Party in just a few districts, thereby giving dis¬ proportionate representation to the Democratic-Republican Party. Some of Gerry’s new districts were necessarily odd-shaped; one district’s out¬ line, seen to resemble a salamander, gave rise to the scornful term ger¬ rymander. The practice has persisted, and redistricting battles in state legislatures have often had to be decided by the courts. In some countries, independent commissions have been appointed to draw district bound¬ aries. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries so-called “racial gerryman¬ dering,” which aimed to ensure minority representation in some districts, was a controversial issue in the U.S.
Gershwin, George orig. Jacob Gershvin (b. Sept. 26, 1898, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.—d. July 11,
1937, Hollywood, Calif.) U.S. com¬ poser. Born to Russian-Jewish immi¬ grants, he heard JAZZ performed live from about age six. In his teens he worked as a song plugger (playing piano in Tin Pan Alley to demonstrate sheet music for potential customers), and in 1916 he published his first song. In 1919 his “Swanee” was per¬ formed by Al Jolson and achieved extraordinary success. Gershwin’s first complete score was for the show La, La Lucille (1919). The band¬ leader Paul Whiteman commissioned from him the hugely successful orchestral work Rhapsody in Blue (1924). It was revolutionary for its incorporation of the jazz idiom (blue notes, syncopated rhythms, onomatopoeic instrumental effects) into a symphonic context. Gershwin’s first major Broadway success. Lady, Be Good! (1924), was a collaboration with his brother, lyricist Ira Gershwin. They soon established themselves as one of the great teams in Broadway history; their shows included Oh, Kay! (1926), Strike Up the Band (1927), Funny Face (1927), Girl Crazy (1930), and the satire Of Thee 1 Sing (1931), the first musical to win a Pulitzer Prize. He also scored several successful films. His most ambitious work was the “folk opera” Porgy and Bess (1935), a collaboration with Ira and novelist DuBose Heyward. Gershwin’s classical compositions include a piano concerto (1925) and the tone poem An American in Paris (1928). His early death was the result of a brain tumour.
Gershwin, Ira orig. Israel Gershvin (b. Dec. 6, 1896, New York, N.Y., U.S.—d. Aug. 17,1983, Beverly Hills, Calif.) U.S. lyricist, brother of the composer George Gershwin. He briefly attended City College of New York, then did odd jobs until his brother asked him to write lyrics for his melodies; their first collaboration was “The Real American Folk Song,” in the musical Ladies First (1918). The renowned Gershwin partnership resulted in such idiomatic and ingenious songs as “’S Wonderful,” “I Got Rhythm,” “Embraceable You,” “Summertime,” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” After his brother’s death Ira collaborated on a number of musicals, including Lady in the Dark with Kurt Weill (1940), Cover Girl with Jerome Kern (1944), and A Star Is Born with Harold Arlen (1954).
Gesell \g3-'zel\, Gerhard A(lden) (b. June 16, 1910, Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.—d. Feb. 19, 1993, Washington, D.C.) U.S. judge. He earned a law degree from Yale University, and he served as an attorney for the Securities and Exchange Commission (1935—40) and in private practice
in Washington, D.C. (1941-67). In 1967 Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him to the Federal District Court in Washington, D.C. There he struck down a local ban on abortion (1969) and allowed the resumption of publication of the Pentagon Papers (1971). He ruled in 1974 that national security was not a valid reason for the 1971 Watergate break-in and made other significant rulings regarding the scandal. In charges stem¬ ming from the Iran-Contra Affair, he presided over the criminal trial of National Security Council staff member Lt. Col. Oliver North in 1989. He remained on the bench until his death.
gesneriad \ges-'nir-e-,ad\ Any of more than 1,800 species of mostly tropical and subtropical herbaceous or slightly woody plants in the fam¬ ily Gesneriaceae. None are of economic importance except as horticul¬ tural ornamentals; among the latter are the African violets and gloxinias.
Gesta Roma norum Vjes-to-.ro-mo-'no-ronA Latin "Deeds of the Romans" Latin collection of anecdotes and tales, probably compiled in early 14th-century England. Very popular in its time, it became a source for much later literature, including works by Geoffrey Chaucer and Wil¬ liam Shakespeare. It contains stories from Classical history and legend and from various Asian and European sources, many about magicians and monsters, ladies in distress, and escapes from perilous situations, all uni¬ fied by their moral purpose and realistic detail. Its author is unknown. Its didactic nature and the allegorical explanations attached to the stories in the early versions suggest that it was intended as a manual for preachers. It is likely that it was compiled in England.