Brigadier General George Henry Torney (June 1, 1850 – December 27, 1913) was a physician in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

who served as the 21st

Surgeon General of the United States Army The Surgeon General of the United States Army is the senior-most officer of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD). By policy, the Surgeon General (TSG) serves as Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) as well as head of the ...

. Torney was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland in 1850. He was the son of John B. and Mary M. (Peacock) Torney. He began his education at Carroll University in

New Windsor, Maryland New Windsor is a town in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,398 at the 2020 census. It is located west of Westminster on Maryland Route 31. History New Windsor was platted in 1797 and originally named Sulphur Springs, ...

and received his medical training at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

– graduating in 1870 – and began his military career in the

as an assistant surgeon of the Navy in 1871. He resigned from the Navy in 1875 and was appointed first lieutenant assistant surgeon of the United States Army. During the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, he served on the hospital ship ''Relief'', transporting sick and injured soldiers between

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. He also served in 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 ...

from 1902 to 1903, where he was in charge of the First Reserve Hospital in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. From 1904 to 1908, he served in California in command of the General Hospital at the Presidio of San Francisco. Following the April 1906 earthquake, with much of the city destroyed by the quake and ensuing fires, Torney was appointed medical chief for the city: he opened the military hospitals for city use and organized the creation of a field hospital and a refugee camp, and averted an epidemic. In 1909, he was appointed Surgeon General of the United States Army, a position which he held until the time of his death. He died of bronchial pneumonia at his home in Washington, D.C. in December 1913. During World War II, the El Mirador Hotel in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

, was purchased and operated as the United States Army

Torney General Hospital Torney General Hospital was a US Army Hospital in Palm Springs, California, in Riverside County used during World War II. Parts of Torney General Hospital are now the Desert Regional Medical Center. In November 1945 Torney General Hospital was ...

, named in his honor.
here for Table of Contents
He was buried at the

West Point Cemetery West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery in the eastern United States, on the grounds of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for Revolutionary War soldiers and early ...

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 ...

, New York.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torney, George 1850 births 1913 deaths University of Virginia School of Medicine alumni Physicians from Baltimore United States Navy Medical Corps officers American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Surgeons General of the United States Army Burials at West Point Cemetery