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William F. Heavey Papers

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: [Summit record]
Date: Jun 1967

Biographical History

William Francis Heavey (1896-1974) was an American military officer who retired with the rank of Brigadier-General.

Heavey was born in Fort McPherson, Georgia on January 29, 1896, the son of Brigadier-General John W. Heavey, he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1917. During World War I Heavey was assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers as a second lieutenant; he was quickly promoted to captain (1917) and then major (1918), and commanded the 2d Engineer Special Brigade in fifty amphibious landings in the southwest Pacific and Philippines.

After World War I he studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning his degree in 1922, and a few years later (1938) graduated from the Command and General Staff School. He was promoted to brigadier-general in 1942, and during World War II he was Chief Engineering Officer for IV Corps (1941-1942) and Commanding General of the 2d Engineer Amphibian Brigade, South Pacific Command (1942-1946).

For his services he was decorated with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Bronze Star. He was a charter member of the American Society of Military Engineers, and authored the book Down ramp! The story of the Army Amphibian engineers (1947). He and his wife had two children; their son William F. Heavey, Jr. (1920-1987) attended the U.S. Naval Academy and became a naval aviator.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The William F. Heavey Papers consist of biographical material about Heavey's career, correspondence (incoming and outgoing), subject files (mostly memorabilia), manuscripts (articles by and about Heavey), and published material (books by and about Heavey, book reviews, and some clippings about Heavey and others).

Arrangement of the Collection

Correspondence is arranged chronologically. All other material is arranged alphabetically.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Subject Headings

Persons

Heavey, William Francis, 1896-1974.

Corporate Bodies

United States. -- Army -- Officers -- Biography.

Subjects

Generals -- United States.
Military engineering.
Military engineers -- United States.

Places

United States -- History, Military -- 20th century.

Genres and Forms

Articles.
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Essays.

Occupations

Engineers.
Generals.
Soldiers.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

William F. Heavey Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Table of Contents

Correspondence

Subject files

Manuscripts

Published material

Inventory