James Edward Hasson was born in Kansas about 1891 to John Henry and Etta (Coddington) Hasson. His parents were born in Illinois, as were his three older sisters, Grace, Blanche, and Floss. The family moved to Kansas some time after 1884. Grace Hasson married Henry Pitcher, and moved to Orange County, California. James worked for a time in Garden City (Finney County), Kansas. He married on September 26, 1914.
In the spring of 1917, James enlisted in the Army, receiving training at Army camps in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and New Jersey through the remainder of 1917 and early 1918. In April 1918, he was sent to France, where he served with Company M of the 6th Division's 51st Infantry. During the summer of 1918, his company defended Paris against a drive of German troups to enter the city, leaving Hasson's company with only 59 survivors of 250 soldiers. Hasson was hospitalized with machine gun wounds. Following his recovery, he fought in the Meuse Argonne Offensive from September to November 1918. During and after Hasson's military service, his parents resided in Jackson County, Kansas, as did their daughter Floss. James Hasson died on April 5, 1940, and was buried at the San Francisco National Cemetery, San Francisco, California.
From the guide to the Letters to Grace Hasson (Mrs. Henry) Pitcher, chiefly World War I letters from her brother James Hasson (Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 51st Infantry, 6th Division, Company M), 1917-1919, 1927, (University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kansas Collection)
