Francis Webster Honeycutt (May 26, 1883 – September 20, 1940) was an American fencer and

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

. He won a bronze medal in the team

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...

event at the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

. He rose to the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in 1940 and assumed command of 9th Infantry Division, before he was killed during an aircraft accident two weeks later.

Biography

Francis W. Honeycutt was born on May 26, 1883, in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, as the son of John Thomas Honeycutt and Jennie Webster. His father was a West Point graduate and Captain in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, who died of typhoid fever as Commander of

Fort Clinch Fort Clinch is a 19th-century masonry Coastal defence and fortification, coastal fortification, built as part of the Seacoast Defense (US)#Third system, Third System of seacoast defense conceived by the United States. It is located on a peninsula n ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, in October 1898. Following the high school, Francis received an appointment to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

, and was active in

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...

team. He was a classmate and friend of

Joseph Stilwell Joseph Warren "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell (March 19, 1883 – October 12, 1946) was a United States Army general who served in the China Burma India Theater during World War II. An early American popular hero of the war for leading a column walking ...

, the future American commanding general in the China-Burma-India theater of World War II. Also many of his classmates became general officer later in their careers including

Lesley J. McNair Lesley James McNair (May 25, 1883 – July 25, 1944) was a senior United States Army officer who served during World War I and World War II. He attained the rank of lieutenant general during his life; he was killed in action during World War II, ...

Robert C. Richardson, Jr. Robert Charlwood Richardson Jr. (October 27, 1882 – March 2, 1954) was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 27, 1882, and was admitted as a cadet at the United States Military Academy on June 19, 1900. His military career spanned the ...

Jay Leland Benedict Jay Leland Benedict (April 14, 1882 – September 16, 1953) was a United States Army major general and superintendent of the United States Military Academy (1938–1940). Career Benedict received an appointment to West Point as a memb ...

Innis P. Swift Innis Palmer Swift (February 7, 1882 – November 3, 1953) was a Major General in the United States Army. He was the grandson and namesake of Civil War Major General Innis Newton Palmer,''Gen. Swift, A Cavalryman'', San Antonio Light, Augus ...

Henry Conger Pratt Henry Conger Pratt (September 2, 1882 – April 6, 1966), professionally known as H. Conger Pratt, was a major general in the United States Army. He was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, and received awards from I ...

Charles F. Thompson Charles F. Thompson (December 11, 1882 – June 15, 1954) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of World War I and World War II, he attained the rank of Major general (United States), major general and was notable as the firs ...

Fulton Q. Gardner Fulton may refer to: People * Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship * Fulton (surname) Given name * Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer * Fult ...

George R. Allin George R. Allin (January 15, 1880 – June 2, 1956) was an American brigadier general who served during World War I and World War II. He is most noted as commanding general of the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma at the beginning of W ...

William Bryden William Bryden (February 3, 1880 – January 20, 1972) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Philippine–American War, Pancho Villa Expedition, World War I, and World War II, he attained the rank of major general and w ...

, Walter R. Fulton,

George V. Strong George Veazey Strong (March 14, 1880 – January 10, 1946) was a U.S. Army general with the rank of major general, who is most famous for his service as commander of the Military Intelligence Corps during World War II. Early life Strong was bo ...

Pelham D. Glassford Pelham Davis Glassford (August 8, 1883 – August 9, 1959) was a United States Army officer who attained the rank of brigadier general during World War I. He later served as Superintendent of the District of Columbia Police Department, and was i ...

, Irving J. Phillipson, Donald C. Cubbison and Thomas M. Robins. Honeycutt graduated with

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in June 1904 and was commissioned second lieutenant in the Field Artillery branch. He returned to the Military Academy as a mathematics instructor from 1907 to 1911. Honeycutt served in the various field artillery assignments and commanded 338th Field Artillery Regiment as the part of 88th Division during the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, where he trained the replacements at

Camp Dodge Camp Dodge is a military installation in the city of Johnston, Iowa, Johnston, Iowa. Centrally located near the capital of Iowa, it currently serves as the headquarters of the Iowa National Guard. History Original construction of the post began i ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, until June 1918. Following the war, Honeycutt graduated from the

Command and General Staff School The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

in 1923. He rose through the ranks and commanded 1st Battalion,

18th Field Artillery Regiment The 18th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1916. History The '18th Field Artillery was organized 1 June 1917 in the Regular Army. Lineage Distinctive unit insignia *Description A ...

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

from July 1927 to August 1928 and later served on the faculty of the Army War College after graduating in 1929. In August 1935, Honeycutt was ordered to

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and commanded 15th Field Artillery Regiment until March 1937, when he was ordered to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

for service as Commanding officer, 12th Field Artillery Brigade at

Fort Stotsenburg Fort Stotsenburg, during the World War II era, was the location of the Philippine Department's 26th Cavalry Regiment, 86th Field Artillery Battalion, and 88th Field Artillery Regiment; along with the Philippine Division's 23rd and 24th Fiel ...

. Honeycutt returned to the United States in early September 1940, was promoted to the rank of

and assumed command of 13th Field Artillery Brigade at

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. Following the reactivation of 9th Infantry Division at Fort Bragg, he assumed additional duty as Commanding general of the division and also held command of Fort Bragg. On September 20, 1940, General Honeycutt was killed in Army plane crash accident near

Woodbine, Georgia Woodbine is a city in, and the county seat of, Camden County, Georgia, United States, an original county established when the state constitution was adopted in 1777. The population was 1,412 at the 2010 census. The East Coast Greenway, a 3,000 mi ...

, while returning from

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, where he was for a conference on military matters. Two other men killed in the crash were: Capt. George F. Kehoe, pilot of the craft, and Corporal Robert J. Schmitz, radioman and mechanic. Honeycutt was buried with full military honors at United States Military Academy Cemetery. He was married to Margaret Harmon (1882–1979), a daughter of Colonel Millard F. Harmon and sister of lieutenant generals Millard F. Harmon Jr. and

Hubert R. Harmon Lieutenant General Hubert Reilly Harmon (April 3, 1892 – February 22, 1957), after a distinguished combat career in World War II, was instrumental in developing plans for the establishment of the United States Air Force Academy. He was the ...

. From his marriage with Margaret, Honeycutt had one son, future Major General John T. Honeycutt and two daughters, Jane (1919–2011), a wife of Colonel William W. West, III and Margaret (1913-1972), a wife of Major general Donald P. Graul.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Honeycutt, Francis 1883 births 1940 deaths People from San Francisco United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from California United States Military Academy faculty United States Army personnel of World War I American male foil fencers Fencers at the 1920 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in fencing Fencers from San Francisco Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni United States Army War College faculty United States Army generals Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Burials at West Point Cemetery