Edward Burr
Brigadier General Edward Burr | |
---|---|
Booneville, Missouri, US | |
Died | April 15, 1952 Washington, D.C., US | (aged 92)
Buried | |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 1882–1923 |
Rank | Brigadier General |
Commands held | 62nd Field Artillery Brigade 166th Field Artillery Brigade 4th Regiment of Engineers 2nd Battalion of Engineers 3rd Battalion of Engineers U.S. Army Engineer School Battalion of Engineers, Fifth Army Corps E Company, Battalion of Engineers |
Battles/wars | Spanish–American War World War I |
Edward Burr (May 19, 1859 - April 15, 1952) was an American general and engineer in the United States Army who served in the Spanish–American War and World War I. He is best known for his service to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Early life
Burr was born on May 19, 1859, to William E. Burr and Harriet Brand Burr in
Military career
After graduating from the academy, Burr was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He was assigned to the engineer battalion at Willets Point, New York from September 1882 to October 1884, receiving a promotion to first lieutenant in April 1883. In June 1884, Burr married Katherine Green, the daughter of a prominent Portland, Oregon industrialist. Two months later he was transferred to Portland, where he remained until 1891. During his time in Portland, Burr supervised the construction of the Cascade Locks and had two sons, William Edward and John Green. Both went on to graduate from the USMA class of 1914. In 1891, Burr returned to the east for a new assignment at Norfolk, Virginia, where he worked on improvements to the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal. He was promoted to captain in September 1894, and was transferred to Washington, D.C. two months later. Burr was Assistant to the Engineer Commissioner of the District of Columbia for four years, during which time he made improvements to the capitol's water system, organized the planting of trees, and supervised construction of the Georgetown Reservoir.[2]
After the outbreak of the
From 1910 to 1914, Burr was Assistant Chief of Engineers in Washington, and received a promotion to colonel on March 2, 1912. Soon after, he transferred to the Philippines to become Department Engineer of the Philippine Department, a position that made him responsible for the construction of fortifications throughout the country.[1][2][3]
Burr was promoted to brigadier general in August 1917 and given command of the newly organized
Death and legacy
After his military retirement, Burr was a consulting engineer in New York until November 1928, during which time he constructed an anti-erosion jetty at Long Island's Rockaway Beach and supervised the construction of the Pilgrim Monument at Provincetown, Massachusetts. In 1928, Burr moved to Washington, D.C., where he lived until his death at Walter Reed Hospital on April 15, 1952. He had been advanced to brigadier general on the Army retired list in June 1930. Burr was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[1][2][4][5]
References
- ^ ISBN 1-57197-088-6
- ^ a b c d e f "Memorial". Archived from the original on 2016-09-14. Retrieved 2016-09-08.
- ^ a b c "Norfolk District 135: Edward Burr".
- ^ a b "Edward Burr". University of Chicago. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "Brig. Gen. Edward Burr" (PDF). The New York Times. April 17, 1952. p. 29. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
Bibliography
- Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. (1998). Generals in Khaki. Raleigh, North Carolina: Pentland Press, Inc. p. 60. ISBN 1-57197-088-6.