George Washington Steele (December 13, 1839 – July 12, 1922) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician who twice served as a Representative for Indiana, from 1881 to 1889 and again from 1895 to 1903.

Steele was also the first governor of Oklahoma Territory and was instrumental in developing the state's public education system and its two largest universities.

He received an education from Indiana's public school system and then earned a law degree from Ohio Wesleyan University.

[1] Following the completion of his education, Steele passed the bar exam and set up a practice in Hartford City, Indiana.

Following the Carolinas Campaign and the end of the war, Steele was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in July 1865.

Following his retirement from the army, Steele returned to Indiana, where he settled in Marion and established a business that engaged in agricultural pursuits and pork packing.

He became active in local politics and gained enough support to win the race to serve as a Congressman from Indiana's 11th District in 1880.

During his last term, he introduced legislation to establish a branch home in Grant County in the fiftieth session of congress, the measure coming up in December, and for seven months he watched the proceedings.

Approval of Steele's bill was received with great enthusiasm in Marion, where the local newspaper predicted that the expenditure for the branch would total at least $500,000.

Steele also served on the Board of Managers of the National Military Home at Marion from April 21, 1890, to December 10, 1904.

Steele's most enduring legacy would not be found in his home state of Indiana or in national politics, but in Oklahoma.