Herbert Deakyne (December 29, 1867 – May 28, 1945) was a

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 ...

officer and engineer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Military career

Deakyne was born on December 29, 1867, in Deakyneville,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, a location settled by his ancestors around 1700. he attended

Delaware College The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

for two years and afterwards attended 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 ...

for four years, graduating from the latter in 1890. Upon graduation, he was commissioned into the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

. His classmates included

Colden Ruggles Colden L'Hommedieu Ruggles (March 18, 1869 – April 2, 1933) was a career officer in the United States Army. A prominent member of the Ordnance Corps, he attained the rank of brigadier general, and was notable for planning and overseeing constr ...

Fred W. Sladen Fred Winchester Sladen (November 24, 1867 – July 10, 1945) was career United States Army officer who rose to the rank of major general and became Superintendent of the United States Military Academy. He was a son of English-born Joseph A. ...

, Frank M. Caldwell, Clint C. Hearn, Daniel W. Ketcham,

Edgar Jadwin Edgar Jadwin, C.E. (August 7, 1865 – March 2, 1931) was a U.S. Army officer who fought in the Spanish–American War and World War I, before serving as Chief of Engineers from 1926 to 1929. Early life Jadwin was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvani ...

, Francis Marshall, Harry H. Bandholtz,

Henry D. Todd Jr. Henry Davis Todd Jr. (August 29, 1866 – January 22, 1964) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Spanish–American War and World War I he attained the rank of major general and was most prominent for his command of ...

, William C. Davis,

George G. Gatley George Grant Gatley (September 10, 1868—January 8, 1931) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of brigadier general, and his World War I commands included the 30th and 42nd Infantry Divisions. Early life Georg ...

, William S. McNair and

William J. Snow William J. Snow (December 16, 1868 – February 27, 1947) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of major general, and served as the Chief of Field Artillery for seven years in the 1920s. A native of Brooklyn, New Y ...

. All of these men would, like Deakyne himself, attain the rank of

general officer A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

. Deakyne studied at the Engineering School of Application at

Willets Point, Queens Willets Point, also known locally as the Iron Triangle, is an industrial neighborhood within Corona, in the New York City borough of Queens. Located east of Citi Field near the Flushing River, it is known for its automobile shops and junkyards ...

, from 1890 to 1893, and from 1893 to 1900, he worked as an army engineer in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, working on river, harbor, and fortification projects. He served on the

California Debris Commission The California Debris Commission was a federal commission created in 1893 by an act of Congress to regulate California streams that had been devastated by the sediment washed into them from gold mining operations upstream in the Sierra Nevada. It wa ...

from 1897 to 1901. He served in

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 ...

from 1901 to 1903, at

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

from 1903 to 1905, and 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 1905 to 1907, and from August to November 1907, he served as chief engineering officer of the

Philippine Division Philippine Division, or from 1946–1947 the 12th Infantry Division, was the core U.S. infantry division of the United States Army's Philippine Department during World War II. On 31 July 1941, the division consisted of 10,473 troops, mostly enl ...

. From 1908 to 1912, Deakyne served in the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

area, and from 1912 to 1916, he did work on the Missouri River and tributaries. In 1916, he served in the office of the Army Corps of Engineers Chiefs of Engineers. Graduating from the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...

in 1917, Deakyne went on a tour of duty to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in August of that year, commanding the Tenth Railway Engineers in

Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean ...

until January 1918. From January to May 1918, he commanded the 11th Railway Engineers along the British front in the north of the country. Deakyne later served as the Director of Railways and Roads in

Chaumont, Haute-Marne Chaumont () is a Communes of France, commune of France, and the capital (or ''préfecture'') of the Haute-Marne department. , it has a population of 21,847. The city stands on the river Marne (river), Marne and is situated on the Paris-Est–Mu ...

. He received a temporary promotion to

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 ...

on October 13, 1918, and reverted to his permanent rank of lieutenant colonel on May 31, 1919. After returning to the U.S., Deakyne served in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

and later in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, 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 List of Ca ...

from 1920 to 1925. He served as an assistant to the Chief of Engineers from June 1926 to June 1930, and he served as the interim Chief of Engineers from August 7 to October 1, 1929. Having been promoted to brigadier general in 1926, Deakyne retired on December 31, 1931, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64. Deakyne married Sadie MacKinnon Nickerson (April 12, 1874 – October 13, 1964) in 1899. They had two daughters. After his retirement, Deakyne and his wife lived at her family's estate on

Humboldt Bay Humboldt Bay is a natural bay and a multi-basin, bar-built coastal lagoon located on the rugged North Coast of California, entirely within Humboldt County, United States. It is the largest protected body of water on the West Coast between Sa ...

near

Samoa, California Samoa (formerly Brownsville) is a census-designated place in Humboldt County, California. It is located northwest of Eureka, at an elevation of 23 feet (7 m). Samoa is located in the northern peninsula of Humboldt Bay and is the site of the Sam ...

and then in

. He died in the

Letterman General Hospital The Letterman Digital Arts Center (LDAC), is an institution located in the Presidio, San Francisco, that has served as the combined home of Industrial Light & Magic, LucasArts, and Lucasfilm's marketing, online, and licensing units since 2005. ...

at the

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...

on May 28, 1945. Deakyne and his wife are buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

References

External links

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deakyne, Herbert 1867 births 1945 deaths People from New Castle County, Delaware United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Delaware United States Army Corps of Engineers personnel United States Army War College alumni United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals People from Humboldt County, California People from San Francisco Burials at Arlington National Cemetery