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Seaman · U.S. Navy

Harry C. Beasley

Seaman Harry C. Beasley, Navy, received the Medal of Honor for actions on April 21, 1914 in Vera Cruz, Mexico during the 1914 Veracruz expedition.

Mexican Campaign (Vera Cruz) April 21, 1914

Serving as a sailor in the U.S. Navy, Seaman Harry C. Beasley received the Medal of Honor for his actions on April 21, 1914 in Vera Cruz, Mexico during the 1914 Veracruz expedition. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Florida. Beasley was 24 years old.

40 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day.

Beasley was born on November 1, 1889 in Ohio. Beasley died on July 2, 1931, at the age of 41. He is buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Newark, Ohio. His medal is held by Newark Police Department, Newark, OH.

Beasley is one of 56 Medal of Honor recipients from the 1914 Veracruz expedition and one of 256 credited to Ohio.

Official Medal of Honor citation

On board the U.S.S. Florida for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession during the seizure of Vera Cruz, Mexico, 21 April 1914.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

How he died

  • Manner of death: homicide
  • Age at death: 41
  • Resting place: Cedar Hill Cemetery

Cause and manner of death: Wikidata.

Battles and campaigns

1914 · Veracruz 1914

Battle of Veracruz

Result: American victory; Veracruz occupied by the United States; Military Government of Veracruz established;...

19 Medal of Honor recipients

Life beyond the battlefield

  • Occupations: police officer

Source: Wikidata.

Places

  • Born: Newark — map
  • Died: Newark — map
  • Buried: Cedar Hill Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Ohio →

From the archives

Additional information on his action comes from U.S. Navy General Order No. 101, dated June 15, 1914. "On April 21, at about 12:30 p.m., Ensign G. M. Lowry, in command of First Company, Florida Battalion, at the customhouse, called for volunteers to go into an alleyway betwen the customhouse and an open warehouse down which a heavy fire was being directed by the enemy. Sinnett responded with four others and finally succeeded in dislodging the enemy." The other four volunteers were George Cregan, Lawrence C. Sinnett, Joseph G. Harner, and J. F. Schumacker. All except for Schumacker received the Medal of Honor.

Timeline

  1. November 1, 1889
    Born in Ohio
  2. April 21, 1914
    Act of valor — Vera Cruz, Mexico
    Age 24. U.S.S. Florida
  3. July 2, 1931
    Died
    Age 41.
  4. Resting place
    Cedar Hill Cemetery
    Newark, Ohio

Biography

Harry C. Beasley (November 1, 1889 – July 2, 1931) was a United States Navy seaman who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the United States occupation of Veracruz, 1914. He also served as a police officer in Newark, Ohio, where he was killed in the line of duty by unknown gunmen in 1931.

From the Wikipedia article “Harry C. Beasley”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Further reading

Also honored for actions on April 21, 1914

OB Oscar Charles Badger Ensign · Navy Veracruz 1914 · 1914 Randolph Carter Berkeley Major · Marine Corps Veracruz 1914 · 1914 Charles Francis Bishop Quartermaster Second Class · Navy Veracruz 1914 · 1914 GB George Bradley Chief Gunner's Mate · Navy Veracruz 1914 · 1914 Allen Buchanan Lieutenant Commander · Navy Veracruz 1914 · 1914 Guy Wilkinson stuart Castle Lieutenant · Navy Veracruz 1914 · 1914 George McCall Courts Lieutenant, j.g. · Navy Veracruz 1914 · 1914 GC George Cregan Coxswain · Navy Veracruz 1914 · 1914 PD Percy A. Decker Boatswain's Mate Second Class · Navy Veracruz 1914 · 1914 Abraham Desomer Lieutenant · Navy Veracruz 1914 · 1914 ND Niels Drustrup Lieutenant · Navy Veracruz 1914 · 1914 JD Jesse Farley Dyer Captain · Marine Corps Veracruz 1914 · 1914

See all 41 recipients for April 21, 1914 →

Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.