1st Baronet and Royal Navy Officer; Admiral of the White. He was a distinguished eighteenth‑century naval officer whose long career spanned the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War, and the early stages of the American War of Independence. He was baptised on the 14th October 1709 at High Ercall, Shropshire, the son of Francis Geary, a yeoman with property interests in Shropshire and Buckinghamshire, and Judith Barber, daughter of Robert Barber of London. The Geary family had earlier roots in Cardiganshire (Ceredigion), Wales, but had relocated to England shortly before his birth. His early childhood was spent at Ercall Magna and later at Cheddington in Buckinghamshire, reflecting the family's gradual movement eastwards from their Welsh origins.

As a teenager, he was sent to London, where he developed a strong interest in campanology. He became an active member of the Ancient Society of College Youths, ringing at St Bride's, Fleet Street, and participating in several notable peals in the mid‑1720s. This London period explains his later association with the capital and provides the first clear evidence of his disciplined temperament and early leadership qualities.

He entered the Royal Navy in 1727 as a volunteer aboard H.M.S. Revenge under Admiral Sir John Norris during the Baltic expedition. He was promoted lieutenant in 1734 and post‑captain in 1740. His early commands included H.M.S. Squirrel, H.M.S. Dolphin, and H.M.S. Chester, during which he captured a Spanish privateer and seized the richly laden French merchantman Pierre Joseph off Madeira. These successes established his reputation as a capable and energetic commander during the War of the Austrian Succession.

During the Seven Years' War, he commanded major ships of the line, including the 74‑gun H.M.S. Culloden and later H.M.S. Somerset, H.M.S. Lennox, H.M.S. Resolution, and H.M.S. Sandwich. He served under leading admirals such as Boscawen, Osborn, Anson, and Hawke, contributing to blockades, convoy protection, and coastal operations. Although storm damage prevented him from participating in the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759, his squadron's long endurance at sea earned him commendation. His promotions followed steadily: Rear‑Admiral (1759), Vice‑Admiral (1762), and Admiral of the Blue (1775), later rising to Admiral of the White.

He held important administrative commands as Commander‑in‑Chief at the Nore and Commander‑in‑Chief at Portsmouth, where he oversaw fleet readiness, refitting, and the organisation of major expeditions. In 1780, at the age of seventy‑one, he was recalled to sea as Commander‑in‑Chief of the Channel Fleet, hoisting his flag in H.M.S. Victory. His brief tenure included the capture of twelve French West Indiamen, though ill‑health forced his resignation later that year.

He married Mary Bartholomew of Oxon Hoath, West Peckham, in 1748, a union that linked him to a long‑established Kentish gentry family. Their marriage produced five children, including Francis Geary, killed in action in 1776 during the American War, and Sir William Geary, who succeeded as 2nd Baronet and later purchased Oxon Hoath, returning the family to Mary's ancestral parish.

Contemporary newspaper notices confirm that Admiral Sir Francis Geary died at Oxon Hoath, the family estate in West Peckham, Kent, on the 7th February 1796. Although he was buried at St Nicolas, Great Bookham, Surrey, in the long‑established Geary family vault, his death occurred at Oxon Hoath, the residence of his son Sir William Geary and the estate associated with the family's baronetcy. The distinction between place of death and place of burial has led to later confusion, but the primary sources are clear that his final days were spent at Oxon Hoath.

Sir Francis Geary was created a baronet in 1782, recognising more than fifty years of naval service. He retired to Polesden Lacey in Surrey, the estate he had purchased with prize money in 1747, and died in 1796. His surviving correspondence, order books, and administrative papers provide valuable insight into naval command during a formative period in Britain's maritime history. Remembered for his calm temperament, professional diligence, and humane leadership, Geary exemplified the steady, experienced officer whose service underpinned Britain's rise as the dominant naval power of the eighteenth century.