George Herbert Harries (September 19, 1860 – September 29, 1934) was an American businessman and newspaper editor. After leaving journalism for a business career, he served as president of the Metropolitan Railroad Corporation, Washington and a vice president of the

Washington Railway and Electric Company The Washington Railway and Electric Company (WR&E) was the larger of the two major street railway companies in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, until 1933. At that time, it was merged with its main competitor, the Capital Tractio ...

. A longtime vice president of the H. M. Byllesby and Company engineering and management consulting firm, he served as president of several Byllesby affiliates while restoring them to profitability, including the Louisville Gas and Electric Company and the Fargo and Moorhead Street Railroad Company. Harries was also a longtime member of the National Guard. A veteran of the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

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

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 ...

, he attained the rank of

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 ...

. He was a recipient of the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

and

Navy Distinguished Service Medal The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919 and is presented to sailors and Marines to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritoriou ...

Early life

Harries was born in

Haverfordwest Haverfordwest (, ; cy, Hwlffordd ) is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a community, being the second most populous community in the county, ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

on September 19, 1860, a son of John Harries and Sarah (Davies) Harries. He was raised in Haverfordwest, where he attended the local schools. The Harries family immigrated to the United States while Harries was 18, and John Harries worked for the U.S. government as an

Indian agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government. Background The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of t ...

. Harries began working on the western frontier of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the United States; while in his teens and early twenties, Harries was a deputy sheriff and aided the

North-West Mounted Police The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian para-military police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territory ...

in pursuing horse thieves and crooked gamblers. He later owned a newspaper in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, which he operated successfully until it was destroyed in a fire. Harries was visiting his father in

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, ...

when he learned of the Winnipeg fire. Instead of returning to Winnipeg, he obtained a position as a reporter with Washington's ''

National Republican The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

'' newspaper. He soon moved from the ''National Republican'' to ''

The Washington Star ''The Washington Star'', previously known as the ''Washington Star-News'' and the Washington ''Evening Star'', was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C., between 1852 and 1981. The Sunday edition was known as the ''Sunday Star ...

''. In 1888, U.S. Congressman William Harrison Martin took offense to articles Harries had written about him, and responded by attacking him in the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

. Harries preferred charges; Martin pleaded guilty to assault and was fined five dollars. As a reporter, Harries covered the Wounded Knee campaign for the ''Star'', and he later advanced to editorial writer, then associate editor.

Continued career

In 1895, Harries left journalism for a career in business when he was appointed president of Washington's Metropolitan Street Railway Company. The company had a reputation for poor service and was experiencing a prolonged labor strike when Harries took over, and within two years he had succeeded in restoring it to profitability. From 1896 to 1900, Harries was affiliated with the Washington Board of Trade, first as secretary, and later as president. When the

was formed in 1900, Harries was appointed vice president, and he served in this position until 1911. In 1911, he joined

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

's H. M. Byllesby and Company as a vice president. The Byllesby company was an engineering and management consulting firm with utility and transportation interests in more than 100 cities and towns throughout the United States. Harries specialized in reorganizing failing companies and restoring them to profitability, and the corporations of which he served as president while performing this function for Byllesby included: the Louisville Gas and Electric Company; Arkansas Valley (Colorado) Railway, Light and Power Company; Fargo and Moorhead Street Railway Company; Nebraska Power Company; and Council Bluffs (Iowa) Gas & Electric Company.

Military career

Early service

In 1889, Harries joined the

District of Columbia National Guard The District of Columbia National Guard is the branch of the United States National Guard based in the District of Columbia. It comprises both the District of Columbia Army National Guard, D.C. Army National Guard and the District of Columbia A ...

and was assigned to its brigade headquarters with the rank of

staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...

. While working as a reporter, he also served as an aide de camp to General

Nelson A. Miles Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was an American military general who served in the American Civil War, the American Indian Wars, and the Spanish–American War. From 1895 to 1903, Miles served as the last Commanding Gen ...

during the

Ghost Dance War The Ghost Dance War was the military reaction of the United States government against the spread of the Ghost Dance movement on Lakota Sioux reservations in 1890 and 1891. Lakota Sioux reservations were occupied by the US Army, causing fear, ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

. After the fighting, Harries served on the committee that established the boundary between the Pine Ridge and

Rosebud Rosebud may refer to: * Rose bud, the bud of a rose flower Arts * The name of Jerry Garcia's guitar from 1990 until his death in 1995. * In the 1941 film ''Citizen Kane'', the last words of Charles Foster Kane and an overall plot device. * "Ros ...

Indian reservations and oversaw transport of the

Northern Cheyenne The Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation ( chy, Tsėhéstáno; formerly named the Tongue River) is the federally recognized Northern Cheyenne tribe. Located in southeastern Montana, the reservation is approximately ...

to their reservation in

Lame Deer, Montana Lame Deer (Meaveʼhoʼeno in Cheyenne) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Rosebud County, Montana, United States. The community is named after Miniconjou Lakota chief Lame Deer, who was killed by the U.S. Army in 1877 under a flag of truce sout ...

. In 1892, he received his DC National Guard commission as 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 s ...

. He served in staff positions with the organization's brigade headquarters including inspector of rifle practice, and advanced to the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Spanish–American War

In 1897, the D.C. National Guard's commander, Albert Ordway, died after an extended illness. Harries was selected to replace him and was promoted to

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 ...

. In April 1898, troops of the D.C. National Guard were ordered to active federal service for the

. They were organized as the 1st District of Columbia Volunteer Infantry, and Harries received a federal appointment to command them as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. the 1st D.C. Infantry completed training in

Chickamauga, Georgia Chickamauga is a city in Walker County, Georgia, Walker County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 2,917 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tennessee, TN–GA Chattanooga metropo ...

. Harries then commanded the regiment in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, including participation in the

Siege of Santiago The siege of Santiago, also known as the siege of Santiago de Cuba, was the last major operation of the Spanish–American War on the island of Cuba. Santiago campaign The primary objective of the American Fifth Army Corps' invasion of Cuba ...

and the post-war Army of Occupation. After the war, Harries resumed his service as commander of the D.C. National Guard with the rank of brigadier general. He was promoted to

and remained in command until retiring in 1915. In 1912, Harries was elected to a term as the national commander of the

Order of the Indian Wars of the United States The Order of the Indian Wars of the United States (OIWUS) is a military society founded in 1896 by officers of the United States Army who served in campaigns against Native Americans from the American Revolution to the late 19th century. Histo ...

World War I

Harries was living in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

at the start of

. He returned to military service in June 1917 as commander of the

Nebraska National Guard The Nebraska National Guard consists of the: *Nebraska Army National Guard *Nebraska Air National Guard See also *Nebraska State Guard References External linksBibliography of Nebraska Army National Guard Historycompiled by the United States ...

's 1st Brigade with the rank of brigadier general. He commanded several units in the United States and France during the war, including the 59th Depot Brigade, 186th Infantry Brigade, 173rd Infantry Brigade, and Base Section Number 5 in

Brest, France Brest (; ) is a port city in the Finistère department, Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of the peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French mi ...

. Base Section Number 5 and the Port of Brest was the main point of debarkation for Allied troops and equipment arriving in France. After the war, it was the main Allied point of embarkation for Allies returning to the United States, England, and other countries.

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 ...

commander John J. Pershing, who had known Harries since the 1890s, selected Harries for this assignment based on his business experience, and Harries was commended by the U.S. and several foreign governments for his wartime leadership in constructing and operating the port. Following the

Armistice of November 11, 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

, Harries took part in the occupation of Germany as Chief of the U.S. Military Mission in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, which he led until December 1920. In this post, he was commended for his efforts to repatriate prisoners of war who had been captured by Germany. Harries' work on POW repatriation included interceding with the German government when it began forcing Russian POWs to return home, despite the fact that those who refused to pledge allegiance to the new communist government were subject to execution. After Harries demanded an end to the practice, the German government began taking steps to ensure the safety of Russians who had been held as POWs.

Post-World War I

Following his return to the United States, Harries was commissioned as a brigadier general in the

Organized Reserve Corps The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020 ...

. After the war, Harries served on a board of general officers which reviewed the qualifications of the Army's majors, lieutenant colonels, and colonels to determine which would be retained in the service during its post-war personnel reductions. He was subsequently promoted to major general in the Auxiliary Officer Reserve Corps, and he served until reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64 in 1924. Harries was elected commander of the

Military Order of the World Wars The Military Order of the World War was created in 1919 at the suggestion of General of the Armies John J. Pershing as a fraternity for American military officers coming out of the Great War. Two decades later, when the USA became involved in WWI ...

in 1920, and served until 1925. He also served as a national vice president of the Society of the Army of Santiago de Cuba from 1924 to 1925 and president of the society's D.C. branch. The Byllesby company formed its own post-World War I

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 ...

post, of which Harries was elected commander.

Awards

Military awards

Harries was a recipient of the

, and the

. The citation for the former reads: In addition, he was a recipient of the French

Legion of Honor 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 ...

(Commander), Russia's

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus ( pl, Order Św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Ponia ...

, Serbia's Order of the White Eagle (Commander), Italy's

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the wo ...

(Commander), Greece's

Order of George I The Royal Order of George I ( el, Βασιλικόν Τάγμα Γεωργίου Α') is a Greek order instituted by King Constantine I in 1915. Since the monarchy's abolition in 1973, it has been considered a dynastic order of the former Greek r ...

(Grand Cross), and

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

Order of Prince Danilo I The Order of Prince Danilo I ( cnr, Орден Књаза Данила I, translit=Orden Knjaza Danila I) was an order of the Principality and later Kingdom, of Montenegro. It is currently a dynastic order granted by the head of the House of P ...

(Grand Commander). In 1921, Harries received Belgium's

Order of Leopold II The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Leopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as Sovereign of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgi ...

(Commander).

Civilian awards

Harries was a historian and lectured on U.S. colonial history at several colleges and universities. His presentations were recognized with the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

s of

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

in 1897 and

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

from the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

in 1914.

Retirement and death

Harries served as president of the Illuminating Engineering Society from 1920 to 1921. In retirement, Harries was a fellow of the

American Institute of Electrical Engineers The American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) was a United States-based organization of electrical engineers that existed from 1884 through 1962. On January 1, 1963, it merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) to form the Instit ...

and resided in

Bel Air, Los Angeles Bel Air (or Bel-Air) is a residential neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. Founded in 1923, it is the home of the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden and the American Jewish Universit ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He became ill while visiting Washington, D.C. in September 1934, and was hospitalized for several weeks. Harries died of pneumonia in Waverly, Maryland on September 29, 1934. He was 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 ...

Family

On April 23, 1883, Harries married Elizabeth Langley (d. 1925). On January 11, 1927, he married Alice Loveland. Harries and his first wife were the parents of two sons, Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Langley Harries and First Lieutenant Warren Godwin Harries. Warren Harries died in a car accident in France while he was serving as his father's aide de camp during

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harries, George Herbert 1860 births 1934 deaths Military personnel from Pembrokeshire United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Commanders of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian) Commanders of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Grand Crosses of the Order of George I Commanders of the Order of Leopold II British emigrants to the United States American male journalists American business executives Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People from Haverfordwest Welsh emigrants to the United States Military personnel from Washington, D.C. Deaths from pneumonia in Maryland