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Stanley H. Ford

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"General Ford" redirects here. For other uses, see General Ford (disambiguation).
Stanley Hamer Ford
BornJanuary 30, 1877 (1877-01-30)
Columbus, Ohio, United States
DiedJanuary 19, 1961 (1961-01-20) (aged 83)
Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, United States
Place of burial
Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1898–1941
Rank Lieutenant General
Unit Infantry Branch
Commands16th Infantry Regiment
1st Brigade
Philippine Department
1st Infantry Division
Seventh Corps Area
Sixth Corps Area
Second Army
Battles / warsSpanish–American War
World War I
World War II
AwardsArmy Distinguished Service Medal
French Legion of Honor
Belgian Croix de Guerre
Spanish Campaign Medal
Philippine Campaign Medal
Cuban Pacification Medal
World War I Victory Medal
Other workDeputy Director, New York State Civil Defense
Military Appointment promoting Stanley H. Ford to rank of Captain on February 16th 1905 signed by William Taft and Theodore Roosevelt.

Lieutenant General Stanley Hamer Ford (January 30, 1877 - January 19, 1961) was a senior officer of the United States Army. After serving in numerous conflicts and wars, including World War I, He was commander of the Philippine Department, 1st Infantry Division, Seventh Corps Area, Sixth Corps Area, and the Second Army

Early life

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Ford was born on January 30, 1877, in Columbus, Ohio. Ford graduated from the Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1898, and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He was then commissioned as a second lieutenant of Infantry in the United States Army.[1][2]

Spanish–American War

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Ford saw service in Cuba and the Philippines during the Spanish–American War, serving with the 16th Infantry in Cuba and the 25th Infantry in the Philippines.[3][4][5][6][7]

Post Spanish–American War

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After the war he served in a series of staff and command assignments, including Infantry and Quartermaster postings to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, Washington, D.C., and the installation now known as Fort Drum, New York.[8][9][10][11]

World War I

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Major General John F. O'Ryan and members of his staff on top deck of Leviathan just after the boat was docked, March 1919. Stood second on the left is Colonel Stanley H. Ford.

During World War I, he served as Assistant Chief of Staff of the 84th Infantry Division and Chief of Staff of the 27th Infantry Division.[12][13][14][15][16] In recognition of his services during the war he was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal. The citation for the medal reads:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Colonel (Infantry) Stanley Hamer Ford, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. As Chief of Staff of the 27th Division, Colonel Ford rendered valuable services in the operations of this division. By tireless energy, good judgment, and keen foresight he proved to be an important factor in the brilliant military operations of the 27th Division. [17]

Post World War I

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Ford continued his Army career after the war, completing the General Staff College in 1920.[18]

He served as commander of the 16th Infantry Regiment from 1924 to 1926.[19][20][21]

From 1926 to 1930 Ford served as Assistant Chief of Staff of the Army's Military Intelligence Division.[22]

Ford attained the rank of brigadier general in 1930. In the early 1930s, General Ford served as military attache in Paris, France.[23] He then commanded 1st Brigade 1st Infantry Division.[24][25] After his brigade command, Ford took command of the Philippine Department.[26]

Ford was promoted to major general in 1936[27] and successively commanded 1st Infantry Division[28][29][30] Seventh Corps Area,[31] Sixth Corps Area,[32][33] and Second Army simultaneously with Sixth Corps Area.

In October 1938 Ford took command of the Second Army, which was responsible for overseeing U.S. Army organizations in several mid-western and southern states. On 5 August 1939, he was promoted temporarily to lieutenant general in accordance with "An Act To provide for the rank and title of lieutenant general of the Regular Army." He was one of the first four active duty officers promoted to lieutenant general since 1918.,[34][35]

He was a member of the Military Order of Foreign Wars.

World War II

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Ford during 1940 Second Army maneuvers

As commander of Second Army Ford oversaw execution of large scale maneuvers and exercises by active Army and National Guard troops that enhanced their readiness in anticipation of fighting in Europe and the Pacific during World War II.[36][37][38][39][40][41][42]

General Ford ended his military career upon reaching mandatory retirement age in January, 1941.[43][44]

Post military career

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During World War II he assisted John F. O'Ryan, the World War I commander of the 27th Infantry Division, during O'Ryan's assignment as New York State's Civil Defense Director.[45][46]

Personal

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General Ford married Lona Pace in 1904.[47] Their son Hamer Pace Ford (1905–1950) graduated from West Point in 1924 and was a career Army officer, attaining the rank of Colonel before his death in Berlin, Germany.[48][49][50] In 1933 General Ford married Katherine Welch of Philadelphia.[51]

Death and interment

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Stanley Hamer Ford tombstone in Laurel Hill Cemetery

General Ford died at the Army's Carlisle Barracks on January 19, 1961, while en route to John F. Kennedy's inaugural.[52] He was buried in Philadelphia's Laurel Hill Cemetery, Section K, Lot 214-SW 1/4.

Awards and decorations

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In 1940 General Ford received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the Ohio State University.[59]

Dates of rank

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No insignia in 1898 Second lieutenant, Regular Army: July 28, 1898
First lieutenant, Regular Army: June 16, 1899
Captain, Regular Army: February 3, 1905
Major, Regular Army: May 15, 1917
Lieutenant colonel, National Army: August 5, 1917
Colonel, Regular Army: July 30, 1918
Major, Regular Army: August 31, 1919
Discharged and reappointed in permanent rank of Major.
Lieutenant colonel, Regular Army: July 1, 1920
Colonel, Regular Army: September 1, 1920
Brigadier general, Regular Army: September 1, 1930
Major general, Regular Army: March 1, 1936
Lieutenant general, Temporary: August 5, 1939
Lieutenant general, Retired List: January 31, 1941[60]

References

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  1. ^ Annual report of the Board of Trustees, published by the Ohio State University, volumes 28-30, 1899, page 23
  2. ^ The Sixth General Catalogue of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, by Edward H. Virgin and William Collin Levere, published by Sigma Alpha Epsilon, 1904, page 291
  3. ^ List of Officers of the Army of the United States from 1779 to 1900, William Henry Powell, 1900, page 313
  4. ^ Annual Report of Major General Arthur MacArthur, United States Volunteers, Commanding Division of the Philippines, Volume I, 1900, Index page XI
  5. ^ Newspaper article, To Forces of Land and Sea; Orders Issued to Members of Both Branches of the Service, Baltimore Sun, March 4, 1906
  6. ^ Newspaper article, The United Service; The Army, New York Times, February 4, 1908
  7. ^ Newspaper article, Army and Navy News, New York Daily Tribune, April 12, 1908
  8. ^ Reports of the Court of Claims, by U.S. Court of Claims, Volume 52, 1918, Page 263
  9. ^ Extracts from reports by regular and militia officers, published by the National Guard Bureau, 1908, page 120
  10. ^ Annual reports, published by U.S. Army War Department, Volume 1, 1908, page 296
  11. ^ Ohio State University monthly, published by Ohio State University Alumni Association, Volume 2, Issue 3, 1911, page 7
  12. ^ The Ohio State University in the World War, Professor Wilbur H. Siebert, printed in Ohio Archaeological and Historical Publications, volume 31, published by the Ohio Historical Society, 1922
  13. ^ America's Part in the World War, Richard Joseph Beamish and Francis Andrew March, 1919
  14. ^ The American army in the European conflict, by Jacques Aldebert de Pineton Chambrun and Charles Marenches, 1919, page 406
  15. ^ Ohio archaeological and historical quarterly, published by the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 31, 1922, page 161
  16. ^ Monk Eastman: The Gangster Who Became a War Hero, by Neil Hanson, 2010, page 341
  17. ^ "Valor awards for Stanley Hamer Ford". Military Times.
  18. ^ Official Army Register, U.S. Army Adjutant General's Office, 1922, page 35
  19. ^ Philippine Magazine, Volume XXX, No. 1, June, 1933, Page 176
  20. ^ "Farewell to Colonel Ford", New York Times, August 25, 1926
  21. ^ "Gen. Ford Honored by Old Regiment; 16th Infantry, 'New York's Own,' Parades for Leader Who Leaves Tomorrow", New York Times, September 29, 1936
  22. ^ Chiefs of the Army Reserve: Biographical Sketches of the United States Army Reserve's Senior Officers, by David E. Hilkert, United States Office of Army Reserve History, 2004, page 61
  23. ^ "Generals to New Posts; War Department Orders Transfer of Four in Early Summer", New York Times, February 17, 1933
  24. ^ "Gen. Ford Arrives Here; To Succeed Gen. DeWitt as Head of First Division Brigade", New York Times, July 16, 1935
  25. ^ "Motor Troops Spell Doom Of Old Army," Syracuse Herald, August 21, 1935
  26. ^ Philippine Magazine, Volume 30, 1933, page 176
  27. ^ Magazine column, Foreign Service, VFW Magazine, published by Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Volumes 23–24, 1935, page 32
  28. ^ Former Commanding Generals page Archived 2009-05-15 at the Wayback Machine, 1st Infantry Division web site, published by 1st Infantry Division
  29. ^ "General Ford Named First Division Head; He Will Succeed Major General Frank Parker With Headquarters at Fort Hamilton", New York Times, March 25, 1936
  30. ^ "Gen. Ford is Transferred; First Division Chief Will Succeed Bolles at Omaha", New York Times, September 13, 1936
  31. ^ Beyond Little Rock: The Origins and Legacies of the Central High Crisis, by John A. Kirk, 2007, page 27
  32. ^ Army and Navy Journal, Volume 78, Issues 1–26, 1940
  33. ^ "Gen. Stanley H. Ford to Take Command of 6th Corps Area" Chicago Tribune, November 7, 1938
  34. ^ "About this Collection | United States Statutes at Large | Digital Collections | Library of Congress" (PDF). Library of Congress.
  35. ^ "Chicago Corps Area Chief to be Lieut. General", Chicago Tribune, August 7, 1939
  36. ^ "2D Army Drills Will Test U.S. Blitzkrieg Idea", Chicago Tribune, June 17, 1940
  37. ^ The U.S. Army G.H.Q. Maneuvers of 1941, Christopher Richard Gabel, 1991
  38. ^ The American Year Book, published by T. Nelson and Sons, Volume 26, 1941, page 324
  39. ^ Minuteman: The Military Career of General Robert S. Beightler, by John Kennedy Ohl, 2001, page 66
  40. ^ "Wide Maneuvers Set For August", New York Times, July 14, 1940
  41. ^ "America's Part-Time Army Goes to 'War'", Hartford Courant, August 4, 1940
  42. ^ "Marshall Inspects Regular Army Forces On Maneuvers", by United Press International, Reading Eagle, August 12, 1940
  43. ^ "Gen. Ford Tells Officers: Lead, Don't Push Men", Chicago Tribune, August 29, 1940
  44. ^ "Gen. Ford Will Retire in January", New York Times, October 3, 1940
  45. ^ "Lieut. Gen. Ford to Aid O'Ryan on Civilian Defense", New York Times, July 24, 1941
  46. ^ "O'Ryan, Ford Quit State O.C.D. Posts", New York Times, April 23, 1942
  47. ^ Who's Who, published by Ohio State University Association, 1912, page 81
  48. ^ Assembly magazine, published by the United States Military Academy Association of Graduates, Volumes 10–11, 1951, page 53
  49. ^ Register of Graduates and Former Cadets, United States Military Academy, published by the United States Military Academy Association of Graduates, 1989, page 351
  50. ^ The United States 15th Infantry Regiment in China, 1912–1938, by Alfred E. Cornebise, 2004, page 223
  51. ^ "Gen. Stanley Ford Weds; Takes Miss Katherine Welch of Philadelphia as His Bride", New York Times, June 2, 1933
  52. ^ Biography, Stanley H. Ford, Military Memorial Museum web site, accessed February 13, 2011
  53. ^ History of the Ohio State University, published by the university, Volume 4, Part 2, 1920, page 26
  54. ^ The Story of the 27th Division, by John Francis O'Ryan, 1921, page 895
  55. ^ Annual Report of the President, the Ohio State University, published by the university, 1941, page 39
  56. ^ History of the Ohio State University, published by the university, 1938, page 214
  57. ^ The American Society Legion of Honor magazine, published by the society, Volumes 32–33, 1961, pages 68 and 204
  58. ^ "Jacques Decorates and is Decorated", New York Times, November 10, 1921
  59. ^ List of honorary degree recipients Archived 2008-12-07 at the Wayback Machine, The Ohio State University Student Senate web site
  60. ^ Official Register of Commissioned Officers of the United States Army. 1948. Vol. 2. pg. 2192.
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