Charles Conway Hartigan (September 13, 1882 – February 25, 1944) was born in

Middletown, New York Middletown is the largest Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Orange County, New York, Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk ...

and died in

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

. He graduated from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

in 1906. He received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for actions at the

United States occupation of Veracruz The Battle of Veracruz was a military conflict between the United States and Mexico that took place in the Mexican port city of Veracruz between April 21 to November 23, 1914. The incident occurred in the midst of poor diplomatic relations be ...

. He was a veteran of

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 ...

and commanded the ill-fated from 1937 to 1939.

Biography

Hartigan was born in Middletown, New York on September 13, 1882 and raised in

Norwich, New York Norwich is a city and the county seat of Chenango County, New York, United States. Surrounded on all sides by the Town of Norwich, the city's name is taken from Norwich, England. Its population was 7,190 at the 2010 census. Norwich is best kn ...

. Hartigan was promoted to lieutenant on July 1, 1912. From 1913 to 1915, he served aboard the battleship . Hartigan was promoted to lieutenant commander on July 1, 1917 and then received a temporary promotion to commander on July 1, 1918. After the World War I armistice, he commanded the destroyer from January to April 1919. His promotion to commander was made permanent on December 31, 1921. From 1929 to 1932, Hartigan served as naval attaché in

Peiping "Beijing" is from pinyin ''Běijīng,'' which is romanized from , the Chinese name for this city. The pinyin system of transliteration was approved by the Chinese government in 1958, but little used until 1979. It was gradually adopted by various ...

, China. He was promoted to captain on June 4, 1931. Hartigan was given command of the hospital ship from August 1932 to June 1934. He attended the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

before serving as commander of the battleship ''Oklahoma''. Hartigan retired from active duty on June 30, 1941 and was advanced to rear admiral on the retired list. After retirement, he continued to work at the Navy Department in Washington, D.C. until he suffered a heart attack on December 7, 1941. Hartigan suffered from ill health for the remainder of his life. In October 1943, he traveled to Palo Alto, California to aid his recuperation. He died there on February 25, 1944. He was buried in

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. ...

with full military honors on March 2, 1944.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank: Lieutenant Organization: U.S. Navy Born: 9/13/1882, Middletown, NY Accredited to: Norwich, NY Date of issue: 12/04/1915 Citation

For distinguished conduct in battle, engagement of Vera Cruz, 22 April 1914. During the second day's fighting the service performed by him was eminent and conspicuous. He was conspicuous for the skillful handling of his company under heavy rifle and machinegun fire, for which conduct he was commended by his battalion commander.

Family

On May 6, 1910, Hartigan married Margaret Alden Thompson (June 21, 1887 – May 15, 1974) in

Benicia, California Benicia ( , ) is a city in Solano County, California, located on the north bank of the Carquinez Strait in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It served as the List of capitals in the United S ...

. His wife's older sister was writer

Kathleen Norris Kathleen Thompson Norris (July 16, 1880 – January 18, 1966) was an American novelist and newspaper columnist. She was one of the most widely read and highest paid female writers in the United States for nearly fifty years, from 1911 to 1959. No ...

. Hartigan and his wife had a daughter and a son. In 1933, their daughter Margaret Alden Hartigan married James Alexander Barclay Barton, the eldest son of British diplomat

Sidney Barton Sir Sidney Barton (26 November 1876 – 20 January 1946) was a British barrister and diplomat, serving as consul-general in Shanghai and as minister to Ethiopia. Early life Sidney Barton was born in Exeter, Devonshire, England on 26 November ...

. Their son Charles Conway Hartigan Jr. (August 22, 1915 – May 26, 1978) was a 1938 Naval Academy graduate who retired from the Navy as a captain. 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 ...

, he was serving as gunnery officer on the destroyer when she was sunk by a Japanese torpedo during the

Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II, Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of t ...

and subsequently received a

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

for his actions.

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartigan, Charles Conway 1882 births 1944 deaths People from Middletown, Orange County, New York People from Norwich, New York United States Naval Academy alumni Military personnel from New York (state) United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Battle of Veracruz (1914) recipients of the Medal of Honor United States Navy personnel of World War I United States naval attachés Naval War College alumni United States Navy admirals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

Family

See also

References