Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Harry Hawkins Vaughan (November 26, 1893 – May 20, 1981) was a senior officer in the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed F ...

and a military aide to

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

during his time as vice president (1945) and president (1945 to 1953). He was one of Truman's closest advisors.Harry H. Vaughan, Major General Who Was An Aide To Truman, Dies
''New York Times''; May 22, 1981

Early life and career

Harry Hawkins Vaughan was born on November 26, 1893, in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Missouri. In 1916, he graduated from Westminster College in

Fulton, Missouri Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, the city is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri, Metropolita ...

. With the United States' entry into

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 ...

, Vaughan was commissioned second lieutenant in the

Field Artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...

and was assigned for military training at

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. During the training, Vaughan befriended another officer, future U.S. President

. They were both assigned to the

129th Field Artillery Regiment 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

within the 35th Division and sent to France. Vaughan participated in the

Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...

or the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He served as a liaison officer and battery commander, and for his service in combat, he was later decorated with two

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

s and the

French Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first aw ...

. Vaughan returned to active duty in World War II, was injured in a plane crash in 1943, and was assigned to the staff of the

Truman Committee The Truman Committee, formally known as the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program, was a United States Congressional investigative body, headed by Senator Harry S. Truman. The bipartisan special committee was form ...

. Truman made him the first vice presidential military aide in 1945; he continued as military aide to the president when Truman succeeded

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, and remained in the post until the end of Truman's presidency in 1953. When Truman was vice president, Vaughan went to

Treasury Secretary The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

Henry Morgenthau Henry Morgenthau may refer to: * Henry Morgenthau Sr. (1856–1946), United States diplomat * Henry Morgenthau Jr. (1891–1967), United States Secretary of the Treasury * Henry Morgenthau III (1917–2018), author and television producer of ''Screa ...

and demanded a

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

agent be assigned to him. Agent George Drescher became the first Secret Service agent assigned to a Vice President. In the 1950s, Vaughan was accused of bribery. In 1951, White House Appointments Secretary

Matthew J. Connelly Matthew J. Connelly (November 19, 1907July 10, 1976) was an American civil servant under Harry S. Truman, who having risen to Executive Secretary to Vice President Truman and then Appointments Secretary to President Truman, was indicted for bribe ...

asked legal counsel

Max Lowenthal Max Lowenthal (1888–1971) was a Washington, DC, political figure in all three branches of the federal government in the 1930s and 1940s, during which time he was closely associated with the rising career of Harry S. Truman; he served under Osca ...

to help General Harry H. Vaughan in "setting up testimony." Vaughan admitted repeated episodes of trading access to the White House for expensive gifts.

Death

Vaughan died at

Fort Belvoir Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It was developed on the site of the former Belvoir plantation, seat of the prominent Fairfax family for whom Fair ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

's DeWitt Army Hospital on May 21, 1981. He was buried at Ivy Hill Cemetery in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

References

External links

* *
Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughan, Harry H. 1893 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople United States Army personnel of World War I American football centers Burials at Ivy Hill Cemetery (Alexandria, Virginia) Military aides to the President of the United States Military personnel from Missouri People from Glasgow, Missouri Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Truman administration personnel United States Army generals Westminster Blue Jays football players Corruption in the United States United States Army generals of World War II

Early life and career

Death

See also

References

Further reading

External links