Frederick Funston
Encyclopedia
Frederick N. Funston also known as Fred Funston, was a General in the United States Army
, best known for his role in the Spanish-American War
and the Philippine-American War
. He received the Medal of Honor
for his actions during the Philippine-American War.
before his family moved to Allen County, Kansas
in 1881. His father, Edward H. Funston
, was elected to the United States House of Representatives
.
A slight individual who stood just tall and weighed only 120 lbs, Funston failed an admissions test to the United States Military Academy
in 1884, then attended the University of Kansas
from 1885 to 1888, but did not graduate. While there, he joined the Phi Delta Theta
fraternity and became friends with future Pulitzer Prize
winner William Allen White
. He worked as a trainman for the Santa Fe Railroad
before becoming a reporter in Kansas City
in 1890.
After one year as a journalist
, Funston moved into more scientific exploration, focusing primarily on botany
. First serving as part of an exploring and surveying expedition in Death Valley, California
in 1891, he then traveled to Alaska to spend the next two years in work for the United States Department of Agriculture
.
He eventually joined the Cuba
n Revolutionary Army that was fighting for independence from Spain
in 1896 after having been inspired to join following a rousing speech given by Gen. Daniel E. Sickles at Madison Square Garden
in New York City.
After a bout of malaria
, Funston's weight dropped to an alarming 95 pounds and he was given a leave of absence by the Cubans. When Funston returned to the United States
, he was commissioned as a colonel
of the 20th Kansas Infantry in the United States Army
on May 13, 1898, in the early days of the Spanish-American War
. That same year, he landed in the Philippines
as part of the U.S. forces that would become engaged in the Philippine-American War
.
under heavy fire. For his bravery, Funston was soon promoted to the rank of Brigadier General of Volunteers and awarded the Medal of Honor on February 14, 1900.
Funston played a key role in planning and capturing Filipino President Emilio Aguinaldo
on March 23, 1901 at Palanan. The capture of Aguinaldo made Funston a national hero, although his reputation was somewhat tarnished when details of the capture became known. Funston's party, escorted by a company of Macabebe mercenaries, had gained access to Aguinaldo's camp by posing as prisoners of Macabe scouts. In recognition of his capture of Aguinaldo, Funston was appointed a Brigadier General in the Regular Army at the age of 35. Funston's capture of Aguinaldo saved his military career as he had been previously denied a commission in the Regular Army, and was scheduled to be mustered out of the volunteer service.
In 1902, Funston toured the United States
to increase public support of the Philippine-American War and became the focus of controversy by stating,
Mark Twain
, a strong opponent of U.S. imperialism
, published a sarcasm-filled denunciation of Funston's mission and methods under the title "A Defence of General Funston
" in the North American Review
. "Poet Ernest Crosby ... also wrote a satirical, anti-imperialist novel, "Captain Jinks, Hero", that parodied the career of General Frederick Funston ...",
Funston was considered a useful advocate for American expansionism
, but when he publicly made insulting remarks about anti-imperialist Republican Senator
George Frisbie Hoar
of Massachusetts
, mocking his "overheated conscience" in Denver, just before a planned trip to Boston, President
Theodore Roosevelt
denied his furlough request, and ordered him silenced and officially reprimanded.
In 1906, Funston was in command of the Presidio of San Francisco
when the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
hit. Funston took command of the city, although martial law
was never officially declared. In the immediate aftermath of unthinkable disaster, Funston assumed the role of protecting the population of San Francisco from anarchy. His most immediate concerns were defending the city from fire and provisioning its citizens with water while lacking a functional water system, as the water mains had all ruptured. He therefore directed the targeted demolition of buildings using the only available resource, dynamite, in order to create fire breaks to stop the fires consuming the city. This desperate, last-ditch strategy finally worked at the wide avenue of Van Ness, where a successful fire break was created after the residences of many city elite were demolished by dynamite to enhance its width.
Funston also needed to prevent anarchy. Immediately after the earthquake, he ordered that looting be punished summarily with execution. It soon became necessary that these orders be carried out, as the shady denizens of the "Barbary Coast" emerged to pilfer what they could, even to defile the dead:
"At the corner of Market and Third Streets on Wednesday I saw a man attempt to cut the fingers from the hand of a dead woman in order to secure the rings which adorned the stiffened fingers."
"One man made the trooper believe that one of the dead bodies lying on a pile of rocks was his mother, and he was permitted to go up to the body. Apparently overcome by grief, he threw himself across the corpse. In another instant the soldiers discovered that he was chewing the diamond earrings from the ears of the dead woman ... The diamonds were found in the man's mouth afterward."
"The soldiers do all they can, and while the unspeakable crime of robbing the dead is undoubtedly being practiced, it would be many times more prevalent were it not for the constant vigilance on all sides, as well as the summary justice."
- from survivors' accounts immediately following the 1906 Earthquake.
Funston's actions were later assessed with a mixture of criticism and praise, but most criticism of his methods has occurred after the fact. Those who experienced and survived the tragedy first-hand were nearly universal in hailing him as a hero who did what was necessary in the face of utter chaos.
That same year, Funston successfully negotiated peace in Cuba.
From December 1907 through March 1908, he was in charge of troops at the Goldfield
mining center in Esmeralda County, Nevada
, where the army put down a labor strike by the Industrial Workers of the World
.
Then, after two years as Commandant of the Army Service School in Fort Leavenworth
, he served three years as Commander of the Department of Luzon in the Philippines
, then was briefly shifted to the same role in the Hawaiian Department.
Funston was active in the conflict with Mexico
in 1914 to 1916. He occupied the city of Veracruz, and later took part in the hunt for Pancho Villa
, becoming a Major General
in November 1914.
Shortly before the U.S. entry into World War I
, President Woodrow Wilson
favored Funston to head any American Expeditionary Force
(AEF). His intense focus on work would lead to health problems, first with a case of indigestion in January 1917, followed by a fatal heart attack
at the age of 51 years in San Antonio, Texas
.
In the moments leading up to his death, Funston was relaxing in the lobby of a San Antonio, Texas
hotel, listening to an orchestra play The Blue Danube
Waltz
. After commenting, "How beautiful it all is," he collapsed from a massive painful heart attack (myocardial infarction) and died.
Douglas MacArthur
, then a major, had the unpleasant duty of breaking the news to President Wilson and Secretary of War Newton D. Baker
. As MacArthur explained in his memoirs, "had the voice of doom spoken, the result could not have been different. The silence seemed like that of death itself. You could hear your own breathing."
Funston lay in state at both the Alamo
and the City Hall Rotunda
in San Francisco. The latter honor gave him the distinction of being the first person to be recognized with this tribute, with his subsequent burial taking place in San Francisco National Cemetery
. After his death, his position of AEF commander went to General John Pershing. The Lake Merced
military reservation (part of San Francisco's coastal defenses) was renamed Fort Funston
in his honor, while the training camp built in 1917 next to Fort Riley
in Kansas
(which became the second-largest World War I camp) was named Camp Funston
. San Francisco's Funston Avenue is named for him as is Funston Avenue in his hometown of New Carlisle, Ohio. Funston's daughter, son and grandson, both of whom served in the United States Air Force
, were later interred with him.
Rank and organization:
Place and date:
Entered service at:
Birth:
Date of issue:
Citation:
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, best known for his role in the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
and the Philippine-American War
Philippine-American War
The Philippine–American War, also known as the Philippine War of Independence or the Philippine Insurrection , was an armed conflict between a group of Filipino revolutionaries and the United States which arose from the struggle of the First Philippine Republic to gain independence following...
. He received the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for his actions during the Philippine-American War.
Early life and career
Funston was born in New Carlisle, OhioNew Carlisle, Ohio
New Carlisle is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,735 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:New Carlisle is located at ....
before his family moved to Allen County, Kansas
Allen County, Kansas
Allen County is a county located in southeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 13,371...
in 1881. His father, Edward H. Funston
Edward H. Funston
Edward Hogue Funston was a U.S. Representative from Kansas.-Biography:Funston was born near New Carlisle, Ohio and attended the country schools, Linden Hill Academy in Carlisle, and Marietta College....
, was elected to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
.
A slight individual who stood just tall and weighed only 120 lbs, Funston failed an admissions test to the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in 1884, then attended the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
from 1885 to 1888, but did not graduate. While there, he joined the Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta , also known as Phi Delt, is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 169 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S...
fraternity and became friends with future Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winner William Allen White
William Allen White
William Allen White was a renowned American newspaper editor, politician, author, and leader of the Progressive movement...
. He worked as a trainman for the Santa Fe Railroad
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
before becoming a reporter in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
in 1890.
After one year as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, Funston moved into more scientific exploration, focusing primarily on botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
. First serving as part of an exploring and surveying expedition in Death Valley, California
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is a national park in the U.S. states of California and Nevada located east of the Sierra Nevada in the arid Great Basin of the United States. The park protects the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and contains a diverse desert environment of salt-flats, sand dunes,...
in 1891, he then traveled to Alaska to spend the next two years in work for the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
.
Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n Revolutionary Army that was fighting for independence from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1896 after having been inspired to join following a rousing speech given by Gen. Daniel E. Sickles at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in New York City.
After a bout of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, Funston's weight dropped to an alarming 95 pounds and he was given a leave of absence by the Cubans. When Funston returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, he was commissioned as a colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
of the 20th Kansas Infantry in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
on May 13, 1898, in the early days of the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. That same year, he landed in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
as part of the U.S. forces that would become engaged in the Philippine-American War
Philippine-American War
The Philippine–American War, also known as the Philippine War of Independence or the Philippine Insurrection , was an armed conflict between a group of Filipino revolutionaries and the United States which arose from the struggle of the First Philippine Republic to gain independence following...
.
Philippines
Funston was in command in various engagements with Filipino nationalists. In April 1899, he took a Filipino position at Calumpit by swimming the Bagbag River, then crossing the Pampanga RiverPampanga River
Pampanga River is the second largest river in the island of Luzon, next to Cagayan River and the third largest river in the Philippines...
under heavy fire. For his bravery, Funston was soon promoted to the rank of Brigadier General of Volunteers and awarded the Medal of Honor on February 14, 1900.
Funston played a key role in planning and capturing Filipino President Emilio Aguinaldo
Emilio Aguinaldo
Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy was a Filipino general, politician, and independence leader. He played an instrumental role during the Philippines' revolution against Spain, and the subsequent Philippine-American War or War of Philippine Independence that resisted American occupation...
on March 23, 1901 at Palanan. The capture of Aguinaldo made Funston a national hero, although his reputation was somewhat tarnished when details of the capture became known. Funston's party, escorted by a company of Macabebe mercenaries, had gained access to Aguinaldo's camp by posing as prisoners of Macabe scouts. In recognition of his capture of Aguinaldo, Funston was appointed a Brigadier General in the Regular Army at the age of 35. Funston's capture of Aguinaldo saved his military career as he had been previously denied a commission in the Regular Army, and was scheduled to be mustered out of the volunteer service.
In 1902, Funston toured the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to increase public support of the Philippine-American War and became the focus of controversy by stating,
- "I personally strung up thirty-five Filipinos without trial, so what was all the fuss over Waller'sLittleton WallerLittleton "Tony" Waller Tazewell Waller was a career officer in the United States Marine Corps, who served in the Spanish American War, the Caribbean and Asia. He was court martialled and acquitted for actions during the Philippine-American War where he led a ill-fated expedition across the island...
'dispatching' a few 'treacherous savages'? If there had been more SmithsJacob H. SmithGeneral Jacob Hurd Smith was a United States Army officer best known for ordering an indiscriminate retaliatory attack on a group of Filipinos during Philippine-American War after more than forty American soldiers were massacred in a surprise attack on the Island of Samar...
and WallersLittleton WallerLittleton "Tony" Waller Tazewell Waller was a career officer in the United States Marine Corps, who served in the Spanish American War, the Caribbean and Asia. He was court martialled and acquitted for actions during the Philippine-American War where he led a ill-fated expedition across the island...
, the war would have been over long ago. Impromptu domestic hanging might also hasten the end of the war. For starters, all Americans who had recently petitioned Congress to sue for peace in the Philippines should be dragged out of their homes and lynched."
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
, a strong opponent of U.S. imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
, published a sarcasm-filled denunciation of Funston's mission and methods under the title "A Defence of General Funston
A Defence of General Funston
A Defence of General Funston is a satirical piece written by Mark Twain lampooning US Army General and expansionism advocate Frederick Funston...
" in the North American Review
North American Review
The North American Review was the first literary magazine in the United States. Founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others, it was published continuously until 1940, when publication was suspended due to J. H. Smyth, who had purchased the magazine, being unmasked as a Japanese...
. "Poet Ernest Crosby ... also wrote a satirical, anti-imperialist novel, "Captain Jinks, Hero", that parodied the career of General Frederick Funston ...",
Funston was considered a useful advocate for American expansionism
Expansionism
In general, expansionism consists of expansionist policies of governments and states. While some have linked the term to promoting economic growth , more commonly expansionism refers to the doctrine of a state expanding its territorial base usually, though not necessarily, by means of military...
, but when he publicly made insulting remarks about anti-imperialist Republican Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
George Frisbie Hoar
George Frisbie Hoar
George Frisbie Hoar was a prominent United States politician and United States Senator from Massachusetts. Hoar was born in Concord, Massachusetts...
of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, mocking his "overheated conscience" in Denver, just before a planned trip to Boston, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
denied his furlough request, and ordered him silenced and officially reprimanded.
United States and overseas again
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
when the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
hit. Funston took command of the city, although martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
was never officially declared. In the immediate aftermath of unthinkable disaster, Funston assumed the role of protecting the population of San Francisco from anarchy. His most immediate concerns were defending the city from fire and provisioning its citizens with water while lacking a functional water system, as the water mains had all ruptured. He therefore directed the targeted demolition of buildings using the only available resource, dynamite, in order to create fire breaks to stop the fires consuming the city. This desperate, last-ditch strategy finally worked at the wide avenue of Van Ness, where a successful fire break was created after the residences of many city elite were demolished by dynamite to enhance its width.
Funston also needed to prevent anarchy. Immediately after the earthquake, he ordered that looting be punished summarily with execution. It soon became necessary that these orders be carried out, as the shady denizens of the "Barbary Coast" emerged to pilfer what they could, even to defile the dead:
"At the corner of Market and Third Streets on Wednesday I saw a man attempt to cut the fingers from the hand of a dead woman in order to secure the rings which adorned the stiffened fingers."
"The soldiers do all they can, and while the unspeakable crime of robbing the dead is undoubtedly being practiced, it would be many times more prevalent were it not for the constant vigilance on all sides, as well as the summary justice."
- from survivors' accounts immediately following the 1906 Earthquake.
Funston's actions were later assessed with a mixture of criticism and praise, but most criticism of his methods has occurred after the fact. Those who experienced and survived the tragedy first-hand were nearly universal in hailing him as a hero who did what was necessary in the face of utter chaos.
That same year, Funston successfully negotiated peace in Cuba.
From December 1907 through March 1908, he was in charge of troops at the Goldfield
Goldfield, Nevada
Goldfield is an unincorporated community and the county seat of Esmeralda County, Nevada, United States, with a resident population of 440 at the 2000 census. It is located about southeast of Carson City, along U.S...
mining center in Esmeralda County, Nevada
Esmeralda County, Nevada
Esmeralda County is a county in the west of U.S. state of Nevada. Its county seat is Goldfield. Its 2000 census population was officially 971, making its population density 0.1045 inhabitants/km² , the second-lowest of any county-equivalent outside of Alaska. As of 2010, the population had...
, where the army put down a labor strike by the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
.
Then, after two years as Commandant of the Army Service School in Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
, he served three years as Commander of the Department of Luzon in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, then was briefly shifted to the same role in the Hawaiian Department.
Funston was active in the conflict with Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1914 to 1916. He occupied the city of Veracruz, and later took part in the hunt for Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....
, becoming a Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
in November 1914.
World War I and death
Shortly before the U.S. entry into World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
favored Funston to head any American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
(AEF). His intense focus on work would lead to health problems, first with a case of indigestion in January 1917, followed by a fatal heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at the age of 51 years in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
.
In the moments leading up to his death, Funston was relaxing in the lobby of a San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
hotel, listening to an orchestra play The Blue Danube
The Blue Danube
The Blue Danube is the common English title of An der schönen blauen Donau, Op. 314 , a waltz by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, composed in 1866...
Waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
. After commenting, "How beautiful it all is," he collapsed from a massive painful heart attack (myocardial infarction) and died.
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
, then a major, had the unpleasant duty of breaking the news to President Wilson and Secretary of War Newton D. Baker
Newton D. Baker
Newton Diehl Baker, Jr. was an American politician who belonged to the Democratic Party. He served as the 37th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1912 to 1915 and as U.S. Secretary of War from 1916 to 1921.-Early years:...
. As MacArthur explained in his memoirs, "had the voice of doom spoken, the result could not have been different. The silence seemed like that of death itself. You could hear your own breathing."
Funston lay in state at both the Alamo
Alamo Mission in San Antonio
The Alamo, originally known as Mission San Antonio de Valero, is a former Roman Catholic mission and fortress compound, site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, and now a museum, in San Antonio, Texas....
and the City Hall Rotunda
San Francisco City Hall
San Francisco City Hall, re-opened in 1915, in its open space area in the city's Civic Center, is a Beaux-Arts monument to the City Beautiful movement that epitomized the high-minded American Renaissance of the 1880s to 1917. The structure's dome is the fifth largest in the world...
in San Francisco. The latter honor gave him the distinction of being the first person to be recognized with this tribute, with his subsequent burial taking place in San Francisco National Cemetery
San Francisco National Cemetery
San Francisco National Cemetery is a U.S. National Cemetery, located in the Presidio of San Francisco, California. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with Golden Gate National Cemetery, a few miles south of the city....
. After his death, his position of AEF commander went to General John Pershing. The Lake Merced
Lake Merced
Lake Merced is a freshwater lake in the southwest corner of San Francisco. It is surrounded by three golf courses , as well as residential areas, Lowell High School, San Francisco State University, Fort Funston and the Pacific Ocean...
military reservation (part of San Francisco's coastal defenses) was renamed Fort Funston
Fort Funston
Fort Funston is a protected area within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area at the southwestern corner of San Francisco. It occupies windswept headlands along the Pacific coast, steep cliffs and the beach below...
in his honor, while the training camp built in 1917 next to Fort Riley
Fort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
(which became the second-largest World War I camp) was named Camp Funston
Camp Funston
Camp Funston is located on Fort Riley, and is located southwest of Manhattan, Kansas. The camp was named for Brigadier General Frederick Funston . Camp Funston was one of sixteen Divisional Cantonment Training Camps established at the outbreak of World War I...
. San Francisco's Funston Avenue is named for him as is Funston Avenue in his hometown of New Carlisle, Ohio. Funston's daughter, son and grandson, both of whom served in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, were later interred with him.
Medal of Honor citation
- Colonel, 20th Kansas Volunteer Infantry.
Place and date:
- At Rio Grande de la Pampanga, LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Philippine Islands, April 27, 1899.
Entered service at:
- Iola, KansasIola, KansasIola is a city situated along the Neosho River in the northwestern part of Allen County, located in Southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,704. Iola is the county seat of Allen County. It is named in honor of Iola Colborn.-History:The...
.
Birth:
- New Carlisle, OhioNew Carlisle, OhioNew Carlisle is a city in Clark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,735 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:New Carlisle is located at ....
.
Date of issue:
- February 14, 1900.
Citation:
- Crossed the river on a raft and by his skill and daring enabled the general commanding to carry the enemy's entrenched position on the north bank of the river and to drive him with great loss from the important strategic position of Calumpit.
See also
- List of Philippine–American War Medal of Honor recipients
- A Defence of General FunstonA Defence of General FunstonA Defence of General Funston is a satirical piece written by Mark Twain lampooning US Army General and expansionism advocate Frederick Funston...
(Mark Twain's satirical essay).
Further reading
- "Funston, Frederick" in The National Cyclopedia of American Biography, Vol. 11, Pages 40–41.