Byron Edgar Farwell (June 20, 1921 – August 3, 1999) was an American

military historian Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians ...

biographer Biographers are authors who write an account of another person's life, while autobiographers are authors who write their own biography. Biographers Countries of working life: Ab=Arabia, AG=Ancient Greece, Al=Australia, Am=Armenian, AR=Ancient Rome ...

, and politician. He was the mayor of Hillsboro, Virginia, for three terms. He also worked for

Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...

, and was the author of 14 books and published articles in various national publications.

Biography

Farwell was born in

Manchester, Iowa Manchester is a city in Delaware Township and the county seat of Delaware County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,065 at the time of the 2020 census. Manchester is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 20 and State Highway 13 ...

, on June 20, 1921. He graduated from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

( M.A., 1968). He served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as a captain and later also saw combat in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. He left the military after seven years of active duty."Byron Farwell, 78, administrator, writer." ''Washington Times'' ashington, DC6 Aug. 1999: 8. His wife was named Ruth. The couple had three children As a civilian, he worked from 1954 to 1971 for

, including many years as director of administration in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

.'''' During part of the 1960s he lived in Switzerland and London. He was mayor of Hillsboro, Virginia, for three terms from 1976 to 1982, losing re-election to a fourth term after a 17–17 vote where the winner was picked out of a

punch bowl A punch bowl or punchbowl is a bowl, often large and wide, for serving mixed drinks such as hippocras, punch (drink), punch or mulled wine, with a Ladle (spoon), ladle.''The Language of Drink'' Graham and Sue Edwards 1988, Alan Sutton Publishi ...

. As mayor of the town, Farwell became known for coming into conflict with the state and federal governments over items such as the census or regulation of the health department. He was paid $50 a year as mayor. He published articles in publications such as ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

'', ''American Heritage'', and ''

Smithsonian Magazine ''Smithsonian'' is a magazine covering science, history, art, popular culture and innovation. The first issue was published in 1970. History The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' magazine ...

'' as well as working as a contributing editor to ''

Military History Military history is the study of War, armed conflict in the Human history, history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to Politics, local and international relationship ...

'', ''

'', and ''

Collier's Encyclopedia ''Collier's Encyclopedia'' is a discontinued general encyclopedia first published in 1949 by P. F. Collier and Son in the United States. With ''Encyclopedia Americana'' and ''Encyclopædia Britannica, Collier's Encyclopedia'' became one of the t ...

''. He was a member of both the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

and the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

. Farwell was also a trustee of the Oatlands mansion. He died on August 3, 1999, of a heart attack, in a hospital in

Loudoun County, Virginia Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. The county seat is Leesburg. Loudoun County ...

. Farwell gave his papers to the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. He completed 14 books, including ''The Man Who Presumed: A Biography of Henry M. Stanley'' (1957), ''Burton: A Biography of Sir Richard Francis Burton'' (1963), ''The Gurkhas'' (1984), ''The Great War in Africa, 1914–1918'' (1986), ''Armies of the Raj: from the Mutiny to Independence, 1858-1947'' (1989),''The Great Anglo-Boer War'' (1990), and ''Over There: The United States in the Great War, 1917-1918'' (1999).

Books

*''Let's Take a Trip in Our Car'' hildren's book(1954) *''

Walter P. Chrysler Walter Percy Chrysler (April 2, 1875 – August 18, 1940) was an American industrial pioneer in the automotive industry, automotive industry executive, and the founder and namesake of American Chrysler Corporation. Childhood Chrysler was born ...

'' (1957) *''The Man Who Presumed: A Biography of Henry M. Stanley'' (1957) *''Burton: A Biography of Sir

Richard Francis Burton Captain (British Army and Royal Marines), Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton, Order of St Michael and St George, KCMG, Royal Geographical Society#Fellowship, FRGS, (19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890) was a British explorer, army officer, orien ...

'' (1963) *''Prisoners of the

Mahdi The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...

'' (1967) *''Queen Victoria's Little Wars'' (1972) ; UK edition (1973) *''The Great

Anglo-Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

'' (1976) ; UK edition ''The Great Boer War'' (1977) *'' Mr. Kipling's Army: All the Queen's Men'' (1981) ; UK edition ''For Queen and Country: A Social History of the Victorian and Edwardian Army'' (1981) *''The

Gurkhas The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with the endonym Gorkhali ( Nepali: गोर्खाली ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of North India. The Gurkha units consist of Nepali and ...

'' (1984) *''Eminent Victorian Soldiers: Seekers of Glory'' (1985) *''The Great War in Africa, 1914–1918'' (1986) *''Armies of the Raj: from the Mutiny to Independence, 1858-1947'' (1989) *'' Ball's Bluff: A Small Battle and Its Long Shadow'' (1990),

McLean, Virginia McLean ( ) is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population of the community was 50,773 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is ...

: EPM Publications; . *''Stonewall: A Biography of General Thomas J. Jackson'' (1992) *''Over There: The United States in the Great War, 1917-1918'' (1999)

References

External links

The "Papers of Byron Farwell", at the University of Iowa Libraries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farwell, Byron American military historians 1921 births 1999 deaths Ohio State University alumni University of Chicago alumni People from Manchester, Iowa 20th-century American historians 20th-century American male writers People from Loudoun County, Virginia Mayors of places in Virginia American male non-fiction writers United States Army officers American biographers United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War Military personnel from Iowa