Houston, Henry Howard, II, 1895-1918

First Lieutenant Henry Howard Houston II, April 5, 1895-August 18, 1918. Born to Samuel Houston and Edith Atlee Corlies Houston in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania on April 5, 1895. His mother died days after his birth. Seven years later his father married Charlotte Harding Shephard Brown, who brought two children to the marriage. In 1910, Samuel and Charlotte welcomed the birth of their daughter, Eleanor.

'Hennie' as he was known, attended Chestnut Hill Academy and the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1916. He was a sailor and accomplished soccer player. He enlisted in Battery C of the First Field Artillery, Pennsylvania National Guard, the same day he graduated and was sent to the Texas and New Mexico borders in response to Pancho Villa's raids from Mexico. In January 1917, he volunteered for the American Field Ambulance Service in France. Stationed near Verdun, he was frequently under fire while performing picking up wounded soldiers. He took a commission to serve with the French army, and by invitation, enrolled in the French Army Transportation School. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre for gallantry under fire.

He resigned his commission when the United States entered the war and rejoined his Pennsylvania National Guard unit, the 53rd Field Artillery Brigade, 28th Division. He was trained as an aerial observer at Fort Sill, Oklahoma before returning to France. From France he wrote to his father in February 1918 about the School of Fire where he was receiving more training for aerial observation: "This is the branch of aviation for which all other branches exist. A fighting plane goes up merely to protect friendly observation planes and sink enemy craft. Artillery would be blind without aerial observation. By getting into this game I am not getting out of artillery but merely raising it to the 17th power. Don't worry, I won't get hurt."

Brigade Commander General William Price requested that the well-trained Lieutenant Houston serve on his staff as a personal aide. On August 18, 1918, Houston was killed south of Arcis-le-Ponsart while returning from an airfield. He had volunteered to go to the airfield for the purpose of establishing more thorough cooperation between the aerial observers and the heavy batteries of the 108th Field Artillery, whose fire they were then directing.

Henry Howard Houston, II is buried in the military cemetery in Suresnes, France. He was 23 years old when he was killed. In his honor, Henry's parents gave a stone building to the local American Legion and the building is named the Henry Howard Houston, 2nd Post.

From the guide to the Henry Howard Houston, II Papers, 1903-1918, (American Philosophical Society)