William Kelly Harrison, Jr.
| William Kelly Harrison, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1895 |
| Died |
1987 (aged 91)[1] Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1957 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant General |
| Commands held |
Army Command and General Staff School 2nd Infantry Division 9th Infantry Training Division |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II Korean War |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross Legion of Merit Silver Star Bronze Star Medal with Cluster Purple Heart |
| Relations | William Kelly Harrison (father) |
| Other work | President, Officers' Christian Fellowship |
William Kelly Harrison, Jr. (1895 – May 29, 1987) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army, and the head of the United Nations Command armistice delegation in the Korean War.[2]
Biography
Son of Medal of Honor recipient William Kelly Harrison (himself a direct descendant of President William Henry Harrison) (this seems to have come from an obituary for General Harrison, but genealogical research indicates that while they might have a shared ancestry, both families being from Virginia, there is no evidence of a direct relation), he graduated in 1917 from West Point, and received a commission in the cavalry and was assigned to the 1st Cavalry at Camp Lawrence J. Hearn in California. Following that posting he returned to teach at West Point and served in France before the end of World War I, this was followed by assignments in the United States and the Philippines. In 1932 he was appointed as the commander of the Army Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, followed by a transfer to the War Department.[2]
During World War II he served as assistant commander of the 30th Division, and was wounded in France, receiving the Distinguished Service Cross, the Legion of Merit, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star with Cluster and the Purple Heart. In 1945 he was appointed as the commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, which was stationed in Czechoslovakia.[2]
In 1946, after a brief stint heading Camp Carson in Colorado, he led the reparations section of the occupation of Japan under Douglas MacArthur. In 1950 he became the commander of the 9th Infantry Training Division at Fort Dix in New Jersey. In 1951 he became the deputy commander of the Eighth Army in Korea. He was picked to serve on the Korean Armistice Delegation under the United Nations Command. His work culminated in July 1953 with his signing the armistice documents as chief delegate for the United Nations Command in a ceremony in Panmunjom, Korea.[3]
From 1954 to 1972 he was the president of the Officers' Christian Fellowship.[4]
Notes
Further reading
A Man Under Orders: Lieutenant General William K. Harrison, Jr.. LOCKERBIE, D BRUCE. Harper & Row, 1979. ISBN 0-06-065257-8.
External links
- Arlington National Cemetery record
- Dallas Theological Seminary archive
- "Professional Excellence for the Christian Officer"