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Almerin C. O'Hara

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Almerin C. O'Hara
1968 black and white head and neck photo of Major General Almerin C. O'Hara in dress uniform and cap
From 1968's General Officers of the Army and Air National Guard
Nickname(s)Buzz[1][2]
Born(1910-11-10)November 10, 1910
Hudson, New York, US
DiedJuly 5, 1987(1987-07-05) (aged 76)
Norway, Maine, US
Buried
Cedar Park Cemetery, Hudson, New York, US
ServiceNew York Army National Guard (1934–1940, 1946–1971)
United States Army (1940–1945)
Years of service1934–1971
RankMajor General
Service number0328935[3]
UnitU.S. Army Infantry Branch
U.S. Army Armor Branch
CommandsAdjutant General of New York
27th Armored Division
2nd Battalion, 106th Infantry Regiment
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 106th Infantry Regiment
WarsWorld War II
AwardsArmy Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Bronze Star Medal (2)
Combat Infantryman Badge
Alma materUnited States Army Command and General Staff College
Spouse(s)
Marjorie Rushmore
​
​
(m. 1935⁠–⁠1986)​
[4][5]
Children1[a]
Other workExecutive, Universal Match Corporation
Commissioner, New York State Office of General Services
Director, New York State Emergency Fuel Office

Almerin C. O'Hara (November 10, 1910 – July 5, 1987) was a career officer in the United States Army. A longtime member of the New York Army National Guard, he attained the rank of major general and served as commander of the 27th Armored Division and as Adjutant General of New York. O'Hara was a veteran of World War II, and his military awards and decorations included the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, and Combat Infantryman Badge.

A native of Hudson, New York, O'Hara was raised and educated in Hudson and enlisted in the National Guard in 1934. He soon received his commission as a second lieutenant of Infantry, and served until 1940, when his unit was federalized for army service during World War II. O'Hara advanced through the ranks to lieutenant colonel during the war as commander of 2nd Battalion, 106th Infantry Regiment and took part in several battles in the Pacific theater. After the war, he pursued a civilian career with the Universal Match Corporation while continuing to serve in the National Guard.

O'Hara served as assistant division commander of the 27th Armored Division from 1954 to 1957, and received promotion to brigadier general. In 1957, he was promoted to major general and assigned to command the division. In 1959, O'Hara was appointed Adjutant General of New York, and he served until retiring from the military in 1971. From 1971 to 1975, O'Hara was Commissioner of the New York State Office of General Services and Director of the New York State Emergency Fuel Office.

In retirement, O'Hara resided in Boynton Beach, Florida, and he was later a resident of a nursing home in Norway, Maine. He died in Norway on July 5, 1987 and was buried at Cedar Park Cemetery in Hudson.

Early life

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Almerin Cartwright O'Hara was born in Hudson, New York on November 10, 1910, a son of Michael Joseph O'Hara (1883–1928) and Anna Drew (Cartwright) O'Hara (1886–1973).[8] O'Hara was named for his maternal grandfather Almerin W. Cartwright (1855–1919), a prominent store owner and postmaster of Roxbury, New York.[9] O'Hara was raised and educated in Hudson;[10][11] following the 1928 death of his father,[8][10] he worked as a soda dispenser at McKinstry's Drug Store in Hudson.[12][13] In the mid-to-late 1930s, O'Hara worked as an insurance agent.[14]

O'Hara later pursued a civilian career with the Universal Match Company of Buffalo, New York; as a manager and executive, he had responsibility at different times for departments including sales and production.[15][16][17] O'Hara was a director of the First National Bank of Hudson and a member of the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce.[6] In addition, he was a member of the Buffalo Niagara Sales & Marketing Executives.[6] O'Hara was also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution by right of descent from Samuel Wright of Sharon, Connecticut.[18] O'Hara was also a member of the Freemasons, Rotary International, American Legion, and Veterans of Foreign Wars.[19][20] In addition, he served as president of Hudson's Columbia County Golf and Country Club.[19]

Start of military career

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In March 1934, O'Hara joined the New York National Guard, enlisting as a private in Albany, New York's Headquarters Company, 10th Infantry Regiment.[3][21] He was discharged as an enlisted soldier on May 31 so that on June 1 he could accept a commission as a second lieutenant of Infantry.[3] On April 16, 1935, O'Hara's commission was confirmed in the National Guard of the United States.[3]

In October 1940, O'Hara entered active duty for World War II, and the 10th New York Infantry Regiment was federalized as the 106th Infantry Regiment, a unit of the 27th Infantry Division.[6] In 1941, he completed the Communications Course for Infantry officers, and in 1943 he graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College.[6]

O'Hara served in the Pacific theater throughout the war, including assignments as commander of the regimental Headquarters Company, regimental Intelligence officer (S-2), and regimental operations officer (S-3).[6] O'Hara later commanded 2nd Battalion, 106th Infantry Regiment, and he took part in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, including the battles of Majuro, Saipan, Okinawa, Iejima, and Okinawa.[6]

Continued military career

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O'Hara had been promoted to lieutenant colonel by the end of the Second World War II, and in September 1945 he was released from active duty.[6] He was then commissioned in the United States Army Reserve, where he served until April 1947, when he rejoined the New York National Guard.[6] In 1946, he was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the New York State Assembly.[22] He served on the staff of the 27th Infantry Division until July 1949, when he was promoted to colonel and assigned as the division's chief of staff.[6] In 1950, he graduated from the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, and in April 1954 he was assigned as assistant division commander (ADC).[6] He was promoted to brigadier general in August 1954, and completed the refresher Course for Armor Officers in 1955.[6]

O'Hara served as ADC until April 1957, and during his time in this position, O'Hara helped lead the division's conversion from Infantry to the newly-designated 27th Armored Division.[6] In April 1957, O'Hara was appointed to command the 27th Armored Division, and in August 1957 he received promotion to major general.[6] In 1958, he graduated from the Armor School's Senior Officer Preventive Maintenance Course.[6] He commanded the division until August 1959.[6]

In August 1959, O'Hara was appointed Adjutant General of New York.[b][6] He placed the National Guard on alert in case a response to the 1967 New York City riot was required, but they were not activated.[24] As adjutant general, O'Hara oversaw the participation of New York National Guard members in the Vietnam War, including an extended inspection tour of South Vietnam, Japan, and South Korea.[25] In addition, he carried out assignments at the national level, including member of the Reserve Forces Policy Board.[26] He retired from the military on January 31, 1971.[27] In 1969, he received the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) Distinguished Service Medal to recognize his leadership as New York's adjutant general and his contributions to NGAUS policy and program initiatives.[28]

Later civilian career

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After retiring as adjutant general, O'Hara was appointed Commissioner of the New York State Office of General Services, succeeding Cortlandt V. R. Schuyler.[29] As commissioner, one of O'Hara's top priorities was overseeing completion of the Empire State Plaza state office complex.[30] During the Attica Prison riot in September 1971, Governor Nelson Rockefeller dispatched O'Hara to the scene as his personal representative.[29] O'Hara was the liaison between Rockefeller, local officials, and the New York State Police, and the riot and inmate takeover ended after state police and other law enforcement officers used force to retake control of the prison.[29]

In July 1973, Rockefeller assigned O'Hara the additional duty of state anti-drug program coordinator.[31] In February 1974, Governor Malcolm Wilson named O'Hara as Director of the New York State Emergency Fuel Office, an agency created to coordinate the state response to the energy crisis that had begun in 1973.[29] He served in this position while continuing to serve as General Services commissioner.[29] O'Hara left office in September 1975, and was succeeded by James C. O'Shea.[32]

In 1975, Albany County adopted a county executive position to lead its government.[33] In that year's election for the first county executive, whose term would start on January 1, 1976, O'Hara, then a resident of Albany, won the Republican nomination and faced Democratic nominee James J. Coyne Jr., who was then serving as county clerk, and Liberal nominee Theresa Cooke, county treasurer and a critic of the county and city Democratic machine run by Daniel P. O'Connell.[33] Coyne won the general election, with Cooke finishing second and O'Hara third.[33]

Retirement and death

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In retirement, O'Hara resided in Boynton Beach, Florida.[7] He later resided at a nursing home in Norway, Maine.[7] O'Hara died in Norway on July 5, 1987.[7] He was buried at Cedar Park Cemetery in Hudson.[8][34]

Awards

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O'Hara's awards and decorations included:

Effective dates of promotion

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Notes

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  1. ^ O'Hara was the father of a son, Almerin C. O'Hara Jr.[6][7] He also had a stepson from his wife's previous marriage, Edmund R. Dawson.[6][7]
  2. ^ At the time, the official title was Chief of Staff to the Governor of New York.[23]

References

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  1. ^ Goodwin, Hilda (August 21, 1959). "Gen. O'Hara Appointed Staff Chief". Troy Record. Troy, New York. p. 21 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  2. ^ Oswald, Russell G. (1972). Attica--My Story. New York, New York: Doubleday. p. 95 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Chief of the National Guard Bureau (1939). Official National Guard Register. Washington, D.C.: National Guard Bureau. p. 899. Retrieved November 23, 2024 – via Ancestry.com.
  4. ^ "New York State Marriage Index, 1881-1967, Entry for Almeric C. O'Hara and Marjorie Rushmore". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. June 15, 1935. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  5. ^ "Obituary, Marjorie Rushmore O'Hara". The Palm Beach Post. Palm Beach, Florida. November 8, 1986. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Chief of the National Guard Bureau (1968). General Officers of the Army and Air National Guard. Washington, DC: National Guard Bureau. pp. 431–432 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b c d e Hudson, Edward (July 8, 1987). "Gen. Almerin C. O'Hara Dies; Led the Military In New York". The New York Times. New York, New York. p. D23 – via TimesMachine.
  8. ^ a b c Cartwright, Lloyd Jay (1981). Cartwright-Northrip and Allied Families. Saginaw, Michigan: L. J. Cartwright. pp. 93. 102 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "Postoffice 'commander' native of Delaware". Oneonta Star. Oneonta, New York. April 9, 1970. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b "Polk's Hudson, New York City Directories". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. 1929. p. 129. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  11. ^ "Polk's Hudson, New York City Directories". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. 1930. p. 134. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  12. ^ "Polk's Hudson, New York City Directories". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. 1933. p. 135. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  13. ^ "Polk's Hudson, New York City Directories". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. 1934. p. 132. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  14. ^ "Five Pass State Insurance Tests". Knickerbocker News. Albany, New York. January 13, 1938. p. 7 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  15. ^ "Almerin C. O'Hara Appointed General In National Guard". Buffalo Evening News. Buffalo, New York. September 2, 1954. p. 43 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "State Guard Gets New Chief". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, New York. Associated Press. August 22, 1959. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "O'Hara Named". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, New York. Associated Press. January 8, 1971. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970, Entry for Almerin Cartwright O'Hara". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. May 11, 1970. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "O'Hara to Manage Plant at Longhorn". The Marshall News Messenger. Marshall, Texas. November 19, 1951. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "O'Hara Pays Tribute to Local Residents for Help Given UMC". The Marshall News Messenger. Marshall, Texas. November 30, 1952. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "New York National Guard, Record of Awards of Medals, 1920-1991, Entry for Almerin C. O'Hara". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. December 13, 1934. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  22. ^ "Bontecou Tops Ticket In Hudson". Poughkeepsie Journal. Poughkeepsie, New York. November 6, 1946. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Eisenstadt, Peter R., ed. (2005). The Encyclopedia of New York State. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-8156-0808-0 – via Google Books.
  24. ^ Bigart, Homer (July 26, 1967). "Renewed Violence Erupts In 2 Puerto Rican Areas". The New York Times. New York, New York. pp. 1, 20. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via TimesMachine.
  25. ^ "Morale up in Vietnam, low in Korea". Oneonta Star. Oneonta, New York. Associated Press. November 14, 1968. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Griffin, Irma Mae (March 11, 1964). "Roxbury Briefs: Mrs. Anna Cartwright O'Hara". Oneonta Star. Oneonta, New York. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ a b Chief of Staff to the Governor of New York (1971). Annual Report. Latham, New York: New York Division of Military and Naval Affairs. p. 5 – via Google Books.
  28. ^ "States Dinner". Official Proceedings: Ninety-First General Conference. Washington, D.C.: National Guard Association of the United States. October 16, 1969. p. 170 – via Google Books.
  29. ^ a b c d e Andelman, David A. (February 23, 1974). "State's Energy Chief: Almerin Cartwright O'Hara". The New York Times. New York, New York. p. 14 – via TimesMachine.
  30. ^ Hambalek, Steve (March 8, 1972). "State Office Tower Passes Muster; O'Hara Says Budget Cuts Won't Hurt". Binghamton Press. Binghamton, New York. p. 3-A – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "O'Hara To Head Drug Drive". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, New York. Associated Press. June 26, 1973. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ Fitchette, Woodie (September 17, 1975). "He'll keep watch over state household". The Herald Statesman. Yonkers, New York. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ a b c Rosenfeld, Steven P. (November 5, 1975). "Dems grab new county exec posts". Syracuse Herald-Journal. Syracuse, New York. Associated Press. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ Lindemann, Ellen Reed (October 16, 2010). "Photo, O'Hara - Cartwright Family Plot, Cedar Park Cemetery, Hudson, New York". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  35. ^ "Receives Distinguished Service Medal". The Troy Record. Troy, New York. September 13, 1971. p. 20 – via GenealogyBank.com.
  36. ^ a b c Chief of the National Guard Bureau (1943). Official National Guard Register. Washington, D.C.: National Guard Bureau. p. 885. Retrieved November 23, 2024 – via Ancestry.com.
  37. ^ a b c d e Chief of the National Guard Bureau (1953). Official National Guard Register. Washington, D.C.: National Guard Bureau. p. 832. Retrieved November 23, 2024 – via Ancestry.com.
  38. ^ a b Chief of the National Guard Bureau (1961). Official National Guard Register. Washington, D.C.: National Guard Bureau. p. 725. Retrieved November 23, 2024 – via Ancestry.com.
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