Hugh P. Harris
Hugh P. Harris | |
|---|---|
Anderson, Alabama, US | |
| Died | November 3, 1979 (aged 70) Washington, D.C., US |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1931–1965 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | Continental Army Command Seventh Army I Corps 11th Airborne Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II Korean War |
| Awards | Silver Star Legion of Merit |
| Other work | President, The Citadel 1965–1970 |
Hugh Pate Harris (June 15, 1909 – November 3, 1979) was a United States Army four-star general who served as Commanding General, U.S. Continental Army Command (CG CONARC) from 1964 to 1965.
Military career
Harris was born in
Early in his career he was involved in the early development of airborne units and doctrine. During World War II he was Chief of Staff of the 13th Airborne Division.
He served as Chief of Staff of the
He took command of the
Harris' awards and decorations included the
Presidency of the Citadel
After retiring from the army, Harris became the President of
It is important to note that in 1980 Pat Conroy published the novel "The Lords of Discipline" with a fictional "Carolina Military Institute" mirrored after the Citadel. The novel described a Commanding General who was a highly decorated senior army officer, having served in both the Korean War and World War II, who now oversaw the integration of a lone black cadet in a deeply conservative southern military academy. Unlike Harris, the fictional general in the novel is the power behind an organization called "The Ten" who attempts to run the black cadet out of the school, nearly killing him in the process. Citadel authorities derided Conway's book, in particular his alluding to General Harris, as a fabricated and untrue story.[2] Harris made it publicly known that he did not want "problems for the school" and that Foster was to be treated exactly the same as any other "knob" freshman. As a result, although Foster experienced frequent racial slurs and bigotry, there were no serious incidents and Foster graduated in 1970. [3]
In the words of Maxine Hudson, one of the first women to receive a master's degree from the Citadel, Harris was a "warm" and "approachable and friendly" president who supported students in the master's program. <https://today.citadel.edu/at-91-citadels-first-woman-graduate-celebrates-50th-commencement-anniversary/> At Harris's death, the mayor of Charleston South Carolina, Joseph P. Riley Junior, stated that Harris was "instrumental in establishing new programs for recruiting cadets" and that his leadership "made an indelible imprint upon" the Citadel and the Charleston community. Riley noted Harris was "a military leader, a gifted educator and a true gentleman." [4]
Death
Harris died on November 3, 1979, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, next to his first wife, Jane Boyd Harris (1911–1958). His second wife, Lieutenant Colonel Kathleen B. Harris, Ret. (1917–2001), was buried next to him later.[5]
References
- ISBN 9780160452727.
- ^ Treadwell, D. (1986, December 26). Outrage Refuses to Die Down in Scandal Over Hazing of Black Cadet at Citadel . Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Retrieved from Diverse Education: https://www.diverseeducation.com/leadership-policy/article/15084160/citadel-of-trauma-the-untold-story-of-the-citadels-first-black-graduate-cover-story
- ^ November 4, 1979. General Harris Dies in Washington. The Charleston News and Courier
- ^ Burial Detail: Harris, Hugh P – ANC Explorer
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