Lieutenant General William Nafew Haskell Jr. (13 August 1878, in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

– 13 August 1952, in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...

) was a U.S. military officer. He was a 1901 graduate of 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 ...

. After graduation from West Point, Haskell initially served in the cavalry. He graduated from the Army Staff College in 1905 and then served from 1906 to 1907 in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

fighting against the Moro tribesmen. From November 1907 to November 1911, Haskell served in the Signal Corps. Promoted to captain effective 1 July 1916, he was assigned as temporary colonel of the 69th Infantry Regiment of the

New York National Guard The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs (NYS DMNA) is responsible for the state's New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard, New York Guard and the New York Naval Militia. It is headed by Adjutant General of New ...

from 5 August 1916 to 9 March 1917 on the Mexican border. Haskell then served in the field artillery with the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...

during

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 ...

, rising again to temporary colonel by 23 December 1918 and earning 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 ...

. Reverting to captain in April 1920, Haskell was quickly promoted to major in July 1920 and lieutenant colonel in September 1920. He was assigned to the

American Relief Administration American Relief Administration (ARA) was an American relief mission to Europe and later post-revolutionary Russia after World War I. Herbert Hoover, future president of the United States, was the program director. The ARA's immediate predeces ...

in 1919 and served as its director in Soviet Russia from 1921 to 1923. He retired from the Army on 27 January 1926. On 19 May 1926, Haskell was appointed

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 ...

and commander of the New York National Guard by New York Governor Alfred E. Smith. He received federal recognition as a major general on 28 May 1934. Haskell served as commander of the New York National Guard for fourteen years until October 1940, when he was appointed commanding general of the 27th Infantry Division in preparation for American entry into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He relinquished command of the division in October 1941 and retired from military service in April 1942. In appreciation for his service, the state of New York promoted him to lieutenant general. Running as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, Haskell was an unsuccessful candidate for

Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket wit ...

, losing to Republican Joe R. Hanley in November 1943. He became Director of Civilian Protection for the state of New York and then served as head of the national

Office of Civilian Defense Office of Civilian Defense was a United States federal emergency war agency set up May 20, 1941, by to co-ordinate state and federal measures for protection of civilians in case of war emergency. Its two branches supervised protective function ...

from 1944 to 1945. After the war, Haskell became vice president of the

Save the Children Federation Save the Children Federation, Inc., commonly known as Save the Children USA, is a non-profit organization working to improve the lives of children in the United States and around the world. Their headquarters is located in Fairfield, Connectic ...

. From late 1945 until 1947, he served as executive director of the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe (CARE). Haskell retired to

, where he died at Greenwich Hospital in 1952. 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 ...

on 16 August 1952. His wife Winifred Agnes (Farrell) Haskell was interred beside him on 6 August 1964.

References

External links

Lieut. Gen. William Nafew HASKELL, Jr. - Haskell Family Tree
1878 births 1952 deaths People from Albany, New York United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from New York (state) American military personnel of the Philippine–American War United States Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) People of the American Relief Administration New York National Guard personnel United States Army generals United States Army generals of World War II New York (state) Democrats American nonprofit executives People from Greenwich, Connecticut Burials at West Point Cemetery {{US-mil-bio-stub