Lieutenant General Thomas Bernard Larkin (December 15, 1890 – October 17, 1968) was a military officer who served as the 32nd Quartermaster General of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

Early life

Thomas Bernard Larkin (1890–1968) at West Point in 1915

Larkin was born in

Louisburg, Wisconsin Louisburg is an unincorporated community in Grant County, Wisconsin, within the town of Jamestown. The zipcode is 53807. Louisburg Creek flows through the area. Louisburg is located 1.5 miles east of Kieler, 2.5 miles southeast of Dickeyville ...

and attended the

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the ...

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...

. In 1915 he graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point ("

the class the stars fell on "The class the stars fell on" is an expression used to describe the class of 1915 at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. In the United States Army, the insignia reserved for generals is one or more stars. Of the 164 gradu ...

") and was sent to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in 1916 with the 2nd Engineers. After returning to the US he graduated in 1917 from the Engineer School at

Washington Barracks Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Cha ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and in December was sent to France. He was awarded the Silver Star for his reconnaissance efforts during the

Second Battle of the Marne The Second Battle of the Marne (french: Seconde Bataille de la Marne) (15 July – 18 July 1918) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The attack failed when an Allied counterattack, supported by s ...

during July 1918. From 1921 to 1923 he served as the Assistant Military Attache for the American Embassy in

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. In 1927 he graduated from the

Army Industrial College The Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (Eisenhower School), formerly known as the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF), is a part of the National Defense University. It was renamed on September 6, 20 ...

; in 1929 from the

Command and General Staff School The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

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

, Kansas; and in 1938 from the Army War College.

Marriage and children

Larkin married Mary Irwin. She was the daughter of William, a

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 ...

commander, and Elizabeth Irwin. One of their sons, Harrison S. Larkin, was a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

and was killed when his plane crashed on April 28, 1950. The Larkin Conference Center at Fort Lee was named for Lieutenant Larkin. Another son, Thomas B. Larkin, Jr., was a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the United States Navy. All four Larkins, as well as the Irwins, 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 ...

. Through the Irwins, Larkin was also a relative of Rear Admiral Harold Percival Norton, also buried at Arlington.

Military career

Larkin served a tour of duty in the Panama Canal Zone as Supervisory Engineer in charge of Third Locks Project, and as Special Assistant to the Governor of the Canal Zone in charge of special civil defense. Eaker, Cannon, Devers and Larkin

After the

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

, he was personally selected by Major General John C. H. Lee in May 1942 to serve as Chief of Staff, Headquarters, Services of Supply,

United States Army Forces in the British Isles United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

. He served under Lee in the opening months of the

Operation Bolero Operation Bolero was the commonly used reference for the code name of the United States military troop buildup in the United Kingdom during World War II in preparation for the initial cross-channel invasion plan known as Operation Roundup, to be ...

buildup in Britain, until (USMA classmate) Lt. Gen.

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

requested he be detached for Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa, beginning on 8 November 1942. In February 1943 he became Commanding General, Services of Supply, North African Theater of Operations, United States Army, and later Commander for the Communications Zone in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, and continued in this role through the invasions of Sicily, Italy, and then southern France in August 1944. For his efforts in supplying the combat troops during the

Tunisian campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. Th ...

he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in June 1943. He was also awarded an Oak Leaf Cluster to the Distinguished Service Medal in November 1944 for his support of the 5th Army in Italy, and his role in planning the invasion of southern France. He remained in this capacity for the Operation Dragoon France invasion, and served under Lt. Gen.

Jacob L. Devers Jacob Loucks Devers (; 8 September 1887 – 15 October 1979) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the 6th Army Group in the European Theater during World War II. He was involved in the development and adoption of numerous w ...

, who took over in January 1944, in the now-larger Mediterranean Theater of Operations the until the fall of Nazi Germany. On February 1, 1946, he became Quartermaster General of the US Army, serving in this position until March 20, 1949. He retired with grade of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in 1952. Larkin died at

Walter Reed Army Hospital The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC)known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in the District of Columbia, it served more than 150,000 active and ret ...

on October 17, 1968, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Awards and decorations

Larkin was the recipient of numerous awards 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 ...

with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Silver Star, Legion of Merit,

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, Mexican Campaign Medal, World War I Victory Medal, World War I Occupation Medal, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal; European, African, Middle East Campaign Medal; American Defense Medal, and World War II Occupation Medal. Foreign decorations: French Croix de Guerre with Palm, the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian Order of Military Merit, the Order of the Crown of Italy (Grand Order), the British

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

Companion, and the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

Gold Cross with Sword.

References

External links

Papers of Thomas B. Larkin, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larkin, Thomas B United States Military Academy alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Brazil) Honorary Companions of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Cross of Merit with Swords (Poland) People from Jamestown, Wisconsin 1890 births 1968 deaths United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Quartermasters General of the United States Army Military personnel from Wisconsin Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Graduates of the United States Military Academy Class of 1915 United States Army generals of World War II United States Army generals