Harry H. Vaughan

Major General Harry Hawkins Vaughan (November 26, 1893 – May 20, 1981) was a senior officer in the United States Army Reserve and a military aide to Harry S. Truman during his time as vice president (1945) and president (1945 to 1953). He was one of Truman's closest advisors.[1]

Harry H. Vaughan
Vaughan in uniform, c. 1946
Birth nameHarry Hawkins Vaughan
Born(1893-11-26)November 26, 1893
Glasgow, Missouri, U.S.
DiedMay 20, 1981(1981-05-20) (aged 87)
DeWitt Army Hospital,
Fort Belvoir, Virginia, U.S.
Buried
Ivy Hill Cemetery,
Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.
38°49′00.9″N 77°04′25.0″W
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Army Reserve
Years of service
  • 1917–1919 (active)
  • 1920–1942 (reserve)
  • 1942–1953 (active)
Rank Major General
Unit
  • Aide to the President of the United States
  • Aide to the Vice President of the United States
Battles/warsWorld War I

World War II

Awards
Spouse(s)Margaret Pilcher Vaughan
College football career
Westminster Blue Jays
PositionCenter
ClassJunior
MajorChemistry
Career history
CollegeWestminster College (1912–1915)

Early life and career

Harry Hawkins Vaughan was born on November 26, 1893, in Glasgow, Missouri. In 1916, he graduated from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. With the United States' entry into World War I, Vaughan was commissioned second lieutenant in the Field Artillery and was assigned for military training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.[1]

During the training, Vaughan befriended another officer, future U.S. President Harry S. Truman. They were both assigned to the 129th Field Artillery Regiment within the 35th Division and sent to France. Vaughan participated in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel or the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He served as a liaison officer and battery commander, and for his service in combat, he was later decorated with two Silver Stars and the French Croix de Guerre.[2]

Vaughan returned to active duty in World War II, was injured in a plane crash in 1943, and was assigned to the staff of the Truman Committee. Truman made him the first vice presidential military aide in 1945; he continued as military aide to the president when Truman succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt, and remained in the post until the end of Truman's presidency in 1953.[3] When Truman was vice president, Vaughan went to Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau and demanded a Secret Service agent be assigned to him. Agent George Drescher became the first Secret Service agent assigned to a Vice President.[4]

In the 1950s, Vaughan was accused of bribery. In 1951, White House Appointments Secretary Matthew J. Connelly asked legal counsel Max Lowenthal to help General Harry H. Vaughan in "setting up testimony."[5] Vaughan admitted repeated episodes of trading access to the White House for expensive gifts.[1]

Death

Vaughan died at Fort Belvoir, Virginia's DeWitt Army Hospital on May 21, 1981. He was buried at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia.[1]

See also

References
  1. Harry H. Vaughan, Major General Who Was An Aide To Truman, Dies New York Times; May 22, 1981
  2. Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. "Harry H. Vaughan Papers". Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  3. Graff, Garrett M. (2017). Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself - While the Rest of Us Die. Simon & Schuster.
  4. [Truman by David McCullough, pg 335]
  5. "Oral History Interviews with Matthew J. Connelly". Harry S. Truman Library & Museum. November 30, 1967. Retrieved August 20, 2017.

Further reading
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