Beschreibung:

(1877-1954), a little-known career US Army staff officer, attained the rank of Lieutenant General commanding 2nd Army (stateside) in 1940. Born in Columbus, Ohio January 30, 1877, Stanley Hamer Ford was commissioned 2nd lieutenant, 16th Infantry in July 1898 and saw action in Cuba before transferring to the Philippine-bound 25th Infantry in June 1899. A regular army major on the eve of World War One, Ford served as Assistant Chief of Staff of the 84th Infantry Division in France and was decorated (DSM and French Legion of Honor) as Chief of Staff to Major General J.F. O'Ryan, commanding 27th (NY) Division in November 1918. Ford was retained in France and Germany on occupation duty until August 1919 and then reverted to his pre-war rank of major, Regular Army. During the inter-war years Ford completed the General Staff College course and promoted to brigadier general (1930) went on to command the 1st Infantry Division and the VII Corps, later advancing to head the Philippine Department as Major General (1936) before MacArthur took over. Due to his age, Ford never held overseas command during WW2. This archive includes his Major General's uniform jacket that was tailor-made in the Isthmus of Panama by Samuel Friedman, Inc. and has the following ribbons: Distinguished Service Medal, Spanish War Service Medal, Philippine Campaign Medal, Cuban Pacification Medal, WWI Victory Medal, with four attached stars, Croix De Guerre, Belgium, and two others. The archive also includes a large number of documents and photographs, including the following: a partially printed military appointment for Ford as Second Lt., dated July 6, 1898 with secretarial McKinley signature and autograph of Segal, Sect. of War, 15" x 20"; a partially printed military appointment for Ford as Brigadier General, dated Sept. 1, 1930, autographed by Hurley, Sect. of War, 15.5" x 19.5"; a partially printed military appointment for Ford to the rank of Major General, dated March 1, 1936 and signed by Sect. of War, 15.75" x 19.25"; a partially printed military document electing Ford a member of the Military Intelligence Society, dated 1930, 10.5" x 14.5"; a large manuscript Spanish American War Veteran document from Paris, France, dated 1936, and listing Ford as a charter member; Ford's Ohio State University diploma and copy of his Master's thesis entitled The Gerrymander, Including a Special Study of its Use in Ohio, both dated 1898; and three University degrees of Ford's daughter. Pocket diaries spanning 16 years kept by Ford between 1928 and 1954 are also part of the lot, including, 28-30, 36, 38-47, 50 and 54. These diaries, or day planners, are all leather bound and the Dec. 7th, 1941 entry reads Japs bomb Hawaii, Guam + Manila. There are a large number of photographs in this archive that span the entire length of his military career and into his retirement, including cadet images to Lt. General, a yard-long unit photograph of Battery C, 329 Field Artillery, many large format images of various military meetings and dinners, biplanes and other military aircraft and much more, over 150 photograph in total. Archive also includes two boxes of his calling cards as Major General, membership cards to dozens of organizations, clubs, etc., dating from the 1930's to the 50's and several other miscellaneous items. Condition: Most items including uniform are VG to VG+.