George J. Heuer was the 13th resident surgeon trained by William S. Halsted. A leading proponent of the halstedian school of surgery, he went on to develop leading surgical programs at Cincinnati and Cornell. A master technician, he emphasized surgical education during a career that spanned four decades. This biographic review commemorates Dr. Heuer's contributions to the growth of surgery and restores him to his proper place as a founding father of American surgery.