Bernard William "Pat" Kearney (May 23, 1889 – June 3, 1976) was a Republican member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Kearney served on the U.S. House of Representatives' Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) during the Cold War. A native of

Ithaca, New York Ithaca () is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metrop ...

, and a graduate of

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary ...

, in 1914, Kearney began a practice in Gloversville. He enlisted in the

New York National Guard New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

in 1909, and took part in the 1916 border patrol mission that was part of the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, US Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the para ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he completed officer training, received a commission, and served in France as a member of the 27th Division. Kearney was prominent in veterans affairs, and served as National Commander of the

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States Armed Forces, United States war veterans who fought in wars, Military campaign, campaig ...

from 1936 to 1937. He remained in the National Guard after the war, attained the rank of brigadier general, and retired in 1940. During

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 ...

, Kearney served in the

New York Guard The New York Guard (NYG) is the State Defense Force (SDF) of New York State, and is one of the four branches of the New York Military Forces (NYMF), the other three branches being the New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard ...

, and commanded a brigade. During the National Guard's post-World War II reorganization, he was recalled to service, promoted to major general, and assigned as commander of the 27th Infantry Division. He retired from the military again in 1948. Active in local politics and government, beginning in 1920, Kearney served in legal offices including Gloversville city judge, assistant district attorney of Hamilton and Fulton Counties, and district attorney of Fulton County. In 1942, he was elected to the U.S. House. He was reelected seven times, and served from 1943 to 1959. In the House, Kearney was a prominent anti-communist and advocate for veterans. He co-authored and helped shepherd the

GI Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, but the te ...

to passage, and was credited as the originator of the law's title. Kearney did not run for reelection in 1958. In retirement he was a resident of

Canandaigua, New York Canandaigua () is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,576 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are at the county complex in the adjacent town of Hopewell. ...

, and

Venice, Florida Venice is a city in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The city includes what locals call "Venice Island", a portion of the mainland that is accessed via bridges over the artificially created Intracoastal Waterway. The city is located in ...

. He died in Venice in 1976, and was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Early life and education

Kearney was born in

, on May 23, 1889, the son of Patrick B. Kearney, a clothier, and Josephine M. (Oster) Kearney. He graduated from

in 1914, where he was a member of the

Delta Chi Delta Chi () is an international collegiate social fraternity. It was formed in 1890 at Cornell University as a professional fraternity for law students, becoming a social fraternity in 1922. In 1929. Delta Chi became one of the first internat ...

fraternity, and became an attorney in Gloversville. He served in the

from 1909 until 1917, first as a member of Company G, 2nd New York Infantry, and then with Troop B, 1st New York Cavalry. He served on the border with

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

during the

, attended

Officer Training School Officer Training School (OTS) is a United States Air Force and United States Space Force commissioning program located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Overview Officer Training School is a part of the Jeanne M. Holm Center f ...

Fort Niagara Fort Niagara, also known as Old Fort Niagara, is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great L ...

and received his commission in 1917.

Legal career

Kearney practiced law in Hamilton and Fulton Counties. He was the City

Judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

of Gloversville from 1920 to 1924. He served as Assistant

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

of Hamilton County from 1924 to 1929, and Fulton County from 1929 to 1931. He was Fulton County District Attorney from 1931 to 1942.

World War I

Kearney served in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

as a member of units in the 27th Division during

, and saw combat at St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne. He received the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

(Officer) and

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

Post World War I

He continued his National Guard service after the war, commanding the 105th Infantry Regiment as a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

, and the 53rd Brigade as a brigadier general. He retired from the National Guard in 1940. Active in veterans organizations, Kearney served as National Commander of the

from 1936 to 1937.

World War II

During

Kearney commanded a brigade in the

, the volunteer organization that performed the New York National Guard's stateside functions while National Guard soldiers were serving overseas.

Post World War II

When the 27th and 42nd Infantry Divisions were fielded in New York as part of the National Guard's post-war reorganization, Kearney was recalled from retirement, promoted to major general, and assigned as commander of the 27th Division. He retired again in 1948.

Congressional career

Kearney was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1942, and served eight terms, January 3, 1943, to January 3, 1959. He rose to become the ranking Republican member of the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

, and developed a reputation as a staunch

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

. His major legislative accomplishment was co-authorship and passage of the

to benefit veterans returning from World War II. Kearney was also given credit for having suggested the law's title. Kearney voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights law passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. E ...

Retirement and death

Kearney did not run for reelection in 1958. In retirement he resided in

and

. In 1959 Congress passed special legislation authorizing Kearney to accept and wear the

Philippine Legion of Honor The Philippine Legion of Honor (; ) was established by President Manuel Roxas, through Philippine Army Circular No. 60 dated July 3, 1947. The Philippine Legion of Honour, Honor was patterned after the Legion of Merit of the United States of Amer ...

(Commander). He received this award in 1953 to acknowledge his support for and efforts to boost the morale of the Philippine resistance during the Japanese occupation of World War II. He died in Venice on June 3, 1976. He is buried in

, Section 30, Grave 352.Arlington National Cemetery Grave Locator
retrieved September 27, 2013

References

External links

Retrieved on 2009-05-08 *
Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kearney, Bernard W. 1889 births 1976 deaths Albany Law School alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Politicians from Ithaca, New York American military personnel of World War I County district attorneys in New York (state) American recipients of the Legion of Honour National Guard (United States) generals New York (state) lawyers New York state court judges People from Gloversville, New York American recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Philippine Legion of Honor Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) National commanders of the Veterans of Foreign Wars 20th-century New York state court judges 20th-century American lawyers American anti-communists United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army generals of World War II United States Army generals 20th-century New York (state) politicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Members of the House Un-American Activities Committee