Roy Hoffman (June 13, 1869 – June 18, 1953) was an attorney, judge, banker, newspaper man, and 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 in the early 20th century. He served in

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 ...

, among other conflicts, and he received several awards for his service. He had a reputation as being a

polymath A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...

, or "Renaissance Man."

Biography

Early life and education

Hoffman was born in

Neosho County, Kansas Neosho County (standard abbreviation: NO) is a county located in Southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 15,904. The county seat is Erie. History Early history For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America ...

, on June 13, 1869. He attended Kansas State Normal School in

Fort Scott, Kansas Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The city is located south of Kansas City on the Marmaton ...

Civilian career

In 1889, Hoffman founded the ''Daily Leader'' in

Guthrie, Oklahoma Guthrie is a city and county seat in Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 10,191 at the 2010 census, a 2.7 percent increase from the figure of 9,925 in the 2000 census. First kno ...

, the first daily newspaper in

Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as th ...

. He worked as the private secretary of William Cary Renfrow when he was the governor of Oklahoma Territory. Admitted to the

Oklahoma Bar Association The Oklahoma Bar Association (OBA) is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. History The Oklahoma Territory Bar Association and the Indian Territory Bar Association merged in 1904 to form the Oklahoma Bar Ass ...

in 1891, he served as an assistant

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for Oklahoma from 1903 to 1907, and as a judge for Oklahoma's 10th District from 1908 to 1912. He also served as a director of the First National Bank. He served in other roles, including as a cowboy, teacher, and

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

committeeman. He had experience in so many different fields that he once stated on a newspaper questionnaire that he was involved in "nearly everything except train robbing." Hoffman was involved in the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

, serving as a charter member, organizer, three-term national executive committee member, and as the national vice president of the American Legion Founders. He also was a civilian aide to the

United States Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the President of the United States, U.S. president's United States Cabinet, Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's Presidency of George Washington, administration. A similar position, called either "Se ...

for eighteen years. He participated in several other organizations.

Military career

Hoffman joined the U.S. Army at the time of 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 ...

, and he was made a captain shortly after. He served as a colonel in the First Oklahoma Volunteer Infantry, and he served at the border with Mexico in that capacity. Hoffman was promoted 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 ...

on August 5, 1917, and he assumed command of

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 ...

. Hoffman then assumed command over the 61st Depot Brigade at

Camp Bowie Camp Bowie is a United States National Guard training center located in west central Texas on the southern outskirts of Brownwood, Texas, Brownwood. History Camp Bowie, named in honor of the Texas patriot James Bowie, was a military training fac ...

, and he helped organize the 36th Infantry Division. Starting on December 3, 1917, Hoffman organized and commanded the 93rd Infantry Division. He took the division to France and served on the front lines until the division was merged into the 1st Infantry Division. He received several awards for his service, including the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

Order of the Crown of Belgium The Order of the Crown (french: Ordre de la Couronne, nl, Kroonorde) is a national order of the Kingdom of Belgium. The Order is one of Belgium's highest honors. History The Order was established on October 15, 1897 by King Leopold II in his c ...

Order of the Crown of Romania The Order of the Crown of Romania is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania. It was awarded as a state order until the end of the Romanian monarchy in 1947. ...

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( it, Ordine della Corona d'Italia, italic=no or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for civi ...

, and the Order of Glory of Tunisia. After he returned to the U.S., Hoffman commanded

Camp Shelby Camp Shelby is a military post whose North Gate is located at the southern boundary of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on United States Highway 49. It is the largest state-owned training site in the nation. During wartime, the camp's mission is to se ...

before being honorably discharged from the National Army in March 1919. Hoffman was recommissioned as a brigadier general in the Officers Reserves Corps. He retired as a

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 ...

of the

Oklahoma Army National Guard The Oklahoma Army National Guard is the Army National Guard component of the Oklahoma National Guard. The Commander in Chief of the Oklahoma National Guard is the Governor of Oklahoma, who appoints the State Adjutant General (TAG), a Major Genera ...

in 1933, commanding the 45th Infantry Division. He was called the "father" of the Oklahoma National Guard for his work in organizing and improving it.

Retirement and death

Hoffman lived in

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 ...

as a retiree. He died on June 18, 1953.

Personal life

Hoffman married Zoe Kennerly on August 3, 1890. They had one daughter, Lucille and divorced in 1895. Hoffman's second marriage was to Estelle Conklin on October 5, 1898. They had three children, Dorothy, Margaret and Roy, Jr.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Roy 1869 births 1953 deaths 20th-century American judges 19th-century American newspaper founders Commanders of the Legion of Honour Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Romania) National Guard (United States) generals Oklahoma Democrats Oklahoma lawyers Organization founders People from Neosho County, Kansas People from Oklahoma City Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of Italian civil awards and decorations United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals