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Harry Burgess (military officer)

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Harry Burgess
Burgess as a West Point cadet in 1895
5th Governor of the Panama Canal Zone
In office
1928–1932
Preceded byMeriwether Lewis Walker
Succeeded byJulian Larcombe Schley
Personal details
Born(1872-02-22)February 22, 1872
Starkville, Mississippi, US
DiedMarch 18, 1933(1933-03-18) (aged 61)
Hot Springs, Arkansas, US
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Military service
AllegianceUnited States of America
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1895–1933
RankBrigadier General
UnitCorps of Engineers
Commands16th Regiment of Engineers (Railway)
Company E, Battalion of Engineers
Battles/warsSpanish–American War
Philippine–American War
World War I
AwardsOrder of St Michael and St George (U.K.)

Harry Burgess (February 22, 1872 – March 18, 1933) was an American military officer who served as governor of the Panama Canal Zone from 1928 to 1932.[1]

Biography

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Burgess was born on February 22, 1872, in Starkville, Mississippi.[2] He attended the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Mississippi for three years before entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in June 1891.[3]

Burgess graduated second in his class from the U.S. Military Academy in June 1895, and was commissioned in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. During the Spanish–American War, he was assigned to the defense of the harbor at Galveston, Texas.[4] Burgess then taught practical military engineering at West Point from December 1898 to June 1900. From 1900 to 1901, he served in the Philippines during the Philippine Insurrection, commanding Company E, Battalion of Engineers from October 1900 to May 1901.[5] Burgess was promoted to captain in January 1904, major in September 1909 and lieutenant colonel in November 1916.[6]

During World War I, Burgess was temporarily promoted to colonel from July 1917 to October 1919.[6] He served as commander of the 16th Regiment of Engineers (Railway) which was organized and trained in the city of Detroit at the Michigan State Fairgrounds. His unit built the railroad infrastructure for the American Expeditionary Force in France.[3]

Burgess received a permanent promotion to colonel on July 1, 1920.[6] He served as the Panama Canal maintenance engineer 1924–1928. Burgess served as Governor of the Panama Canal Zone 1928–1932.[1][3] He was subsequently promoted to brigadier general on June 1, 1932.[6]

Burgess died on March 18, 1933, at the Army and Navy General Hospital in Hot Springs, Arkansas, while still on active duty.[1][7] He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery three days later.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Brig. Gen. Burgess, Engineer, Is Dead. Retired Governor of Panama Canal Zone, 61, Served in World War in France. Aide On Muscle Shoals. Once Member of Mississippi River Commission. Was Veteran of War With Spain". The New York Times. March 19, 1933.
  2. ^ "Harry Burgess". Panama Canal Authority. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2005-12-26.
  3. ^ a b c Cavenaugh, H. La T. (June 12, 1933). "Harry Burgess". Sixty-Fourth Annual Report of the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Newburgh, New York: The Moore Printing Company. pp. 177–180. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  4. ^ Biographical register of the officers and graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York since its establishment in 1802: Supplement, 1890–1900. Vol. IV. The Riverside Press. 1901. p. 583. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  5. ^ Biographical register of the officers and graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York since its establishment in 1802: Supplement, 1900–1910. Vol. V. Seemann & Peters, Printers. 1910. p. 532. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  6. ^ a b c d Official Army Register. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. January 1, 1933. p. 92. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  7. ^ Official Army Register. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. January 1, 1934. p. 765. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  8. ^ "Burgess, Harry". ANCExplorer. U.S. Army. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
[edit]
Preceded by Governor of Panama Canal Zone
1928–1932 		Succeeded by
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