George Temple

George Francis Temple was born in Fairview, Pennsylvania, in May 1888, to Francis Temple, a doctor, and Cynthia Yaeger Temple. Dr. Temple was devoted to his patients, but long hours and house calls in inclement weather soon took their toll, and he died of pneumonia in June 1896, when he was only 39. After his death, Cynthia moved the family to Mercer, Pennsylvania; they relocated again, to Eerie, Pennsylvania, in 1900. But the Temples did not stay long in Eerie, either. Grace, George's older sister, contracted tuberculosis there, and in 1903, the family moved to sunny Los Angeles. After graduating high school, George's friendly, affable personality helped to get him a job as a bank clerk. When he was 21, he met 16-year-old Gertrude Amelia Krieger and was instantly captivated. They married in 1910, and their first child, John Stanley Temple (Jack) was born in January 1915. Another son, George Francis Temple Jr. (Sonny) was born in January 1919. George did not serve in World War I, but many men in his company did, which allowed him to advance to an accountant. Then in 1925, he became a bookkeeper for California Bank, and the family moved from Los Angeles to Santa Monica. The Temples' only daughter, Shirley Jane, was born on April 23, 1928. Family and friends soon agreed that Shirley resembled her father in appearance and personality; both were friendly, fun-loving, and somewhat bossy. When Gertrude tried to convince him to send Shirley to dancing lessons, George, a hardworking man who was both politically and financially conservative, initially believed that it was a wasteful extravagance. But he changed his mind when he realized that his daughter possessed a remarkable sense of rhythm (Shirley was dancing before she was a year old). Charles Lamont noticed Shirley in her dancing class and cast her in two of his short film series, Baby Burlesks and Frolics of Youth, and her career slowly began to take off. Unlike many stage parents who live off their children, George kept his job at the bank even as Shirley became the highest-grossing movie star in the country. He and Gertrude also saved the bulk of Shirley's earnings, even before laws were passed requiring parents of child stars to do so. George was determined to give his daughter the most normal upbringing possible given the extraordinary circumstances. Shirley and George were very close, which helped her to act opposite many of her film fathers. They remained close as Shirley grew up, and she cooked for and spoon-fed her father in his old age. George died on September 30, 1980.