What if Thomas J. Geary, pictured left, a Democratic congressman from California who authored the 1892 Geary Act, was required to carry a certificate of residency like this. But no, the Geary Act applied only to the Chinese in America.
Chinese Photo ID Cards, and Deportation Raids
Note: For the Chinese, life in late-19th century America was hard. Then, the Geary Act of 1892 made it even harder. It extended for another 10 years the Chinese Exclusion…