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"I despise your masquerade, the dishonest way you pose yourself. Yourself and your whole fucking family."
"Senator, we're both part of the same hypocrisy. But never think it applies to my family.
"
―Pat Geary and Michael Corleone[src]

Patrick 'Pat' Geary was a United States Senator from Nevada who was manipulated and blackmailed by the Corleone family and he led senate investigation against Corleone family.

Biography[]

In 1958, Geary and his wife attended the First Communion party of Anthony Corleone. Geary publicly accepted a contribution ifrom Anthony's father Michael made in the name of Anthony's deceased paternal grandfather, as a donation for the local public university. During his speech, he mispronounced Anthony's middle and last names, and misidentifies Michael's wife Kay as Pat, likely a reference to President Nixon's long-suffering wife Pat, whose life could be seen as analagous to Kay's. The movie would have been filmed as the Watergate scandal unfolded in 1973.

Behind closed doors[]

Senator Geary

After the public ceremony, Geary met with Michael in his office. The Corleone family had obtained control of several casinos in Nevada. However, with respect to one of the casinos, Michael was having trouble obtaining a gaming license from the state authorities. Geary offered to help Michael obtain the license in exchange for a substantial bribe, $250,000 up front, plus five percent of the monthly gross from the Corleones' four casinos. During this time, he correctly pronounces "Corleone" in contrast to his public performance. Michael asked Geary why he should pay so much money when the license fee was only $20,000.

At that point, Geary launched into a vicious attack on Michael, the Corleone family, and Italian-Americans in general, calling them "oily-haired" and "dirty". He said that he despised Michael and all he stood for and that he "intended to squeeze" the Corleone family for all he could get. Geary gave Michael a day to respond to his offer and vowed that he never wanted to see him again, that from then on, he was only to negotiate through the Senator's man Turnbull.

As Geary headed for the door, Michael offered his response: Geary would obtain the gambling license for the Corleones for free, with no bribe. Indeed, Michael expected Geary to pay the $20,000 licensing fee out of his own pocket.

Blackmail[]

Geary later spent the night with a prostitute in a brothel in Carson City run by Fredo, Michael's brother. Having suffered from an alcoholic blackout, he awoke in a bed covered in blood next to the woman, who was dead. The dead prostitute's wrists were handcuffed and her legs spread wide. Geary had no memory of what happened, and was frantic with horror and worry. Tom Hagen arrived on the scene and promised that the woman had no family, the matter could be safely covered up.

Geary was unaware that Al Neri and Tom Hagen had engineered the situation. The girl, who was a drug addict, was seen as a necessary sacrifice. The Corleones "help" with the incident swayed Geary to the family's side. When Michael went to Havana to meet with Hyman Roth and other crime bosses, Geary was in the group along with other politicians accompanying them to a live sex show. When the New Year's Eve party was interrupted by rebels swarming Havana, the festivities turned to bedlam as Cubans fled the scene. Among them was Geary, who ran to the U.S. Embassy for protection, shouting that he was a U.S. Senator.

The Committee[]

"These hearings on the Mafia are in no way what-so-ever a slur upon the great Italian people. Because I can state from my own knowledge and experience - that Italian-Americans are among the most loyal - most law-abiding - patriotic, hard working American citizens in this land. And it would be a shame, Mr. Chairman, if we allowed a few rotten apples to bring a bad name to the whole barrel. Because from the time of the great Christopher Columbus up through the time of Enrico Fermi right up to the present day - Italian-Americans have been pioneers in building and defending our great nation. They are the salt of the earth and one of the backbones of this country."
―Senator Geary at the hearing[src]
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Geary at the senate hearings.

In 1959, when a U.S. Senate committee is investigating organized crime and subpoenas Michael and others to answer to charges of criminal activity, Geary served on the committee and spoke in defense of Italian-Americans, deploring the stereotyping of them as criminals. However, he absented himself from the hearing before Michael's testimony, ostensibly because he needed to attend the meeting of another committee he chaired. This created some confusion and leaving the committee without one of its most important members.

Personality and traits[]

A slimy and sardonic individual, Geary outwardly appeared to be a respectful, God-fearing man, but this facade dropped behind closed doors, where he revealed his bigotry towards Italian-Americans. Geary presented a fearless persona to his enemies, but once cornered he would become a blubbering wreck who would bargain with anyone in order to protect his reputation.

In the video game[]

Patrick Geary game

Senator Geary in The Empire Room.

In the video game, Geary meets with Dominic Corleone at The Empire Room, who asks for his help in a business deal, promising a 25% cut. As a bonus, Dominic gives him executive privileges at 'gentlemen's clubs' across the country.

Dominic also persuades him into visiting La Maison Rouge. Tom Hagen has instructed Dominic to create a fake business deal to gain the senator's trust. Geary is unaware that Tom Hagan and Dominic had engineered the situation with the reluctant help of the madame, Rosa Scarletti. Dominic then joins Tom the next morning, speaking to Geary after his horrific discovery.

Later on, when the senate committee adjourned, Geary met with the Corleones to discuss their future, and assisted them by revealing the location of CIA Agent Henry Mitchell, a traitor in league with Hyman Roth.

Behind the scenes[]

  • In one brief shot of the scene showing the dead prostitute, the actress playing the prostitute could be seen breathing. This may or may not be intentional on the part of the filmmakers, suggesting that the prostitute was acting instead of actually being killed.
  • Senator Patrick Geary is believed to be based on US Senator Pat McCarran, who was the Senator from Nevada from 1933 to 1954.[1]

Notes and references[]

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