Pierpont M. Hamilton
Pierpont Morgan Hamilton Knight of the Order of Christ (Portugal) | |
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| Alma mater | Harvard University |
Pierpont Morgan Hamilton (August 3, 1898 – March 4, 1982) was a military officer in the United States Air Force, and the scion of two illustrious families in American history: the Hamilton family, which traces its lineage to founding father Alexander Hamilton, and the Morgan family, which traces its lineage to the financier and banker J. P. Morgan.
As a
Biography
Hamilton was born in
World War I
On August 7, 1917, after the United States joined
On May 9, 1918, he received his
Between wars
Hamilton married Marie Louise Blair, daughter of C. Ledyard Blair, on September 11, 1919. The wedding was held near Bernardsville, New Jersey, with a lavish reception at Blairsden Mansion.[4][5] They had three children before divorcing: Philip, David and Ian. He married Rebecca Stickney on January 3, 1930.[6] The second marriage also ended in divorce, with no children. His third and final marriage was on August 20, 1946, to Norah Goldsmith Soutter.[7] Hamilton adopted her son Harold Moon from a previous marriage, and was a devoted stepfather to her son Nicholas Soutter, from her marriage to Lamar Soutter.[2]
In the interwar years, he engaged in international banking, lived in France for several years, and became fluent in French. He also operated a commercial development business of patents and processes in sound and color photography.
World War II
In
Medal of Honor action
On November 8, 1942, when French forces resisted Allied landing operations, Hamilton undertook a mission for Truscott to deliver a message to the local French commander near
After landing on Green Beach before dawn, still under hostile fire from shore batteries, the officers commandeered a small truck and were strafed by French aircraft when it became stuck in a muddy marsh. After the truck was extricated by a detachment of combat engineers, they attempted to continue their mission but were forced to return to the beach when caught in the exchanges of French artillery and naval gunfire from Task Group 34.8 of the United States Navy. When Truscott expressed misgivings about the mission, Craw convinced him to allow them to continue. They located a jeep and enlisted its driver, Pfc. Orris V. Correy, to cross through the French lines. Craw carried unfurled American and French flags, and Hamilton a white flag, in an attempt to safeguard their passage.
At dawn the officers reached the jetty that was to have been their original starting point. After several contacts with French troops to obtain directions, and requesting a guide (which was refused), the jeep proceeded cautiously approximately six miles into Port Lyautey. As they came over a rise on the outskirts near the French headquarters, a hidden machine gun position took them under sustained fire and killed Craw.[9]
The two survivors were captured but Hamilton's anger at the killing of Craw under a
On the morning of November 10, Petit was captured by U.S. troops and ordered the
Subsequent service
In December 1942 Hamilton became Intelligence and Air Officer for the North African Theater Advanced Headquarters at Algiers and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. The following month he was appointed Operations and Intelligence Staff Officer for the Northwest African Tactical Air Force. He returned to the United States in March 1943, was promoted to colonel on October 26, and after various assignments at AAF Headquarters in Washington and with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was released from active duty in March 1946.[3]
In February 1947 he returned to active duty with the Plans and Operations Division of the
He resided in
Following his military retirement in 1959, Hamilton held a number of civilian business positions, including an association with Electronic Products Corporation of Santa Barbara, California and as an executive with the Santa Barbara Bank & Trust until 1979, when his health deteriorated. Hamilton was admitted to the VA Wadsworth Medical Center in Los Angeles and died at age 83. Hamilton was buried in Santa Barbara Cemetery, Santa Barbara, California.
Awards and decorations
SOURCE: Biographical Data on Air Force General Officers, 1917-1952, Volume 1 - A thru L[10]
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Reserve Military Aviator
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| Medal of Honor | Legion of Merit with bronze oak leaf cluster | ||||||||||
| Army Commendation Medal with four bronze oak leaf clusters |
Prisoner of War Medal | World War I Victory Medal | |||||||||
| American Campaign Medal | campaign stars
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World War II Victory Medal | |||||||||
| Army of Occupation Medal | National Defense Service Medal | Air Force Longevity Service Award with three bronze oak leaf clusters | |||||||||
| Armed Forces Reserve Medal | Order of the British Empire (United Kingdom) |
Knight of the Order of Christ (Portugal)[11] | |||||||||
Medal of Honor citation
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Major (Air Corps) Pierpont Morgan Hamilton, United States Army Air Forces, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty while serving as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Western Task Force, in North Africa during the landings of Operation Torch. On 8 November 1942, near Port Lyautey, French Morocco, Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton volunteered to accompany Colonel Demas Craw on a dangerous mission to the French commander, designed to bring about a cessation of hostilities. Driven away from the mouth of the Sebou River by heavy shelling from all sides, the landing boat was finally beached at Mehdia Plage despite continuous machinegun fire from three low-flying hostile planes. Driven in a light truck toward French headquarters, this courageous mission encountered intermittent firing, and as it neared Port Lyautey a heavy burst of machinegun fire was delivered upon the truck from pointblank range, killing Colonel Craw instantly. Although captured immediately, after this incident, Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton completed the mission.
See also
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
- ^ "Major General Pierpont M. Hamilton". Airforce Biography. Inside AF.mil. 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
- ^ a b Bowman, Joseph P. (2002). "Demas T. Craw & Pierpont Morgan Hamilton". Hamilton National Genealogical Society. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
- ^ a b c d e "Major General Pierpont M. Hamilton". Inside Air Force. 2011. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ^ "Miss Blair, Bride of P.M. Hamilton" The New York Times, September 12, 1919. Accessed March 12, 2008.
- ^ Schleicher, William A. and Susan Winter. In the Somerset Hills: The Landed Gentry. Arcadia, 1997.
- ^ "Pierpont M. Hamilton Weds Miss Stickney" The New York Times, January 5, 1930. Accessed March 12, 2008.
- ^ "Col. P.M. Hamilton, War Hero, Marries" The New York Times, August 22, 1946. Accessed March 12, 2008.
- ^ Howe, George F. (2010). "Chapter VIII Mehdia to Port-Lyautey". US Army in World War II / Northwest Africa: Seizing the Initiative in the West. HyperWar Foundation. Retrieved 2011-05-16., pp. 150, 154-155, 169-170
- ^ a b c Frisbee, John L. (1988). "Valor: A Desperate Venture". AIR FORCE Magazine. 71 (November). Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ Fogerty, Robert P. (1953). "Biographical Data on Air Force General Officers, 1917-1952, Volume 1 - A thru L" (PDF). USAF Historical Study No. 91. AFHRA (USAF). pp. 742–744. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ "Cidadãos Estrangeiros Agraciados com Ordens Portuguesas". Página Oficial das Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
External links
- Bowman, Joseph P. (2002). "Demas T. Craw & Pierpont Morgan Hamilton". Hamilton National Genealogical Society. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
- Howe, George F. (2010). "Chapter VIII Mehdia to Port-Lyautey". US Army in World War II / Northwest Africa: Seizing the Initiative in the West. HyperWar Foundation. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
- "Major General Pierpont M. Hamilton". Inside AF.mil. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- "Pierpont M. Hamilton". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
- "Medal of Honor recipients - World War II (G–L)". Medal of Honor citations. United States Army Center of Military History. June 8, 2009. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
- U.S. Army film: Pierpont M. Hamilton Receives Medal of Honor at You Tube. U.S. Army film of President Franklin Roosevelt presenting Medal of Honor to Hamilton during George Marshall and George S. Patton. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
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