Hugh Pate Harris
General, U.S. Army

Hugh Pate Harris was born in Anderson, AL, on 15 June 1909. After graduating from Columbia Military Academy, he attended and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the Class of 1931. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry.

Early in his career, he was involved in the early development of airborne units and doctrine. During World War II he was Chief of Staff of the 13th Airborne Division.

He served as Chief of Staff of the XVIII Airborne Corps, and Commanded a Regiment in the 40th Infantry Division during the Korean War. After the war, he was Deputy Chief of Staff, Eighth U.S. Army.

He took command of the Berlin Command in 1955 and, in 1956, assumed Command of the 11th Airborne Division. In April 1960, Harris became Commanding General, U.S. Army Infantry Center and Commandant, U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, GA. In 1961 he was named Commander of I Corps, and the following year, as Commanding General, Seventh U.S. Army. At the time of his retirement in 1965, General Harris was Commanding General of the U.S. Continental Army Command.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Army Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star Medal
Legion of Merit with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
American Defense Service Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Presidential Unit Citation
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge
Master Parachutist Badge
Glider Badge

In Retirement

After retirement from the Army, Harris became President of The Citadel, a position he held from 1965 to 1970. He was the third consecutive four-star officer to hold that position.

Death and Burial

General Hugh Pate Harris died on 3 November 1979. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, next to his first wife, Jane Boyd Harris (1911-1958). His second wife, Lieutenant Colonel Kathleen B. Harris, Retired, was buried next to him after her death in 2001. The graves can be found in Section 2, Lot E-278 LH.