Major General Harold Robert Parfitt (August 6, 1921 – May 21, 2006), was the last Governor of the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

, from 1975 to 1979.

Biography

He was born in Coaldale, Pennsylvania on August 6, 1921 to William Parfitt and Elizabeth Patterson. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1943; graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1948; graduated from the Command and General Staff College in 1955;

Canadian National Defense College Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

in 1962; and attended a six-week advanced management program at Harvard in 1967. He married Patricia Rose Scully on June 4, 1955. Parfitt was commissioned

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

of the United States Army in 1943; advanced through the ranks to major general in 1971. He served as commanding general, United States Army Engineer Center/Commandant, United States Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, from late 1973 to March 1975. He was Deputy, and later District Engineer of the Engineer Division, South Atlantic, in Jacksonville, Florida, from August 1962 to May 1965. In June 1965, he became lieutenant governor of the Canal Zone and vice president of the Panama Canal Company, serving until September 1968. From December 1969 to August 1973, he was division engineer, U.S. Army Engineer Division, Southwest, Dallas, Texas. Parfitt was commanding officer of the

20th Engineer Brigade The 20th Engineer Brigade is a combat engineer brigade assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps of the United States Army stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Although the brigade was identified as an airborne unit, not all of its subordinate un ...

in Vietnam from November 1968 to November 1969. Parfitt was appointed as

Governor of the Panama Canal Zone The following is a list of governors of the Panama Canal Zone while it was under U.S. control. Military governors (1904–1914) Military and civil governors (1914–1924) Civil governors (1924–1979) See also *Panama Canal Zone Notes E ...

on April 1, 1975, and served in that position until September 30, 1979. He was the last U.S. governor of this region, as the post was abolished and replaced with the Panama Canal Commission. Parfitt died on May 21, 2006 in Dallas, Texas. Interment was at Arlington National Cemetery.

Legacy

He is the father of Karen Hughes, who was a close advisor to president

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parfitt, Harold 1921 births 2006 deaths United States Military Academy alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army generals Governors of the Panama Canal Zone United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania Military personnel from Pennsylvania