Herbert C. Holdridge
Encyclopedia
Herbert Charles Holdridge (1892–1974) was an American
military officer, who was best known for being the only United States Army
General
to retire during World War II
, and for having several times sought presidential nominations on fringe party tickets after retirement. He was the father of diplomat John H. Holdridge
and the adoptive father of actress Cheryl Holdridge
.
, Michigan
. His parents were German immigrants Emil Heitke and Ida Petzke, who came to the United States in 1881. Herbert Heitke grew up on the family farm, along with his four brothers and three sisters. He was able to secure an appointment to the United States Military Academy
at West Point, and graduated with the class of 1917. While at West Point, he legally changed his surname to "Holdridge", a move precipitated by the rising anti-German sentiment in America during its entry into World War I
. Upon graduation, he married Marie Gunther (1896–1981), a New York factory worker's daughter.
in the U.S. Army in 1917, and assigned to the Quartermaster Corps of the Army's Reserve (II Corps) at Camp Gordon, Georgia
. He was promoted to First Lieutenant
by 1920, and made Captain two years later, at which time he was assigned to duty with Headquarters Army Trains, with the First United States Army in New York City
. This move reunited him with his wife, who had remained behind in New York after his posting to Georgia, and led to the birth in 1924 of their only child, John H. Holdridge
.
By 1925 Holdridge had transferred to the Cavalry
, while still assigned to the Reserve Corps in New York. He was later appointed as Assistant Professor of History and Social Sciences at West Point, and also taught summer sessions at Columbia University
during 1928. Before 1930, Holdridge had been transferred to the Army's Cavalry School at Fort Riley
, Kansas
, his wife and son this time accompanying him.
Holdridge would remain with Training Commands for the rest of his Army career. He was promoted to Colonel
and headed the Plans Training Division of the Adjutant General's Department at the onset of World War II, and was assigned as Commandant of the Adjutant General School at Fort Washington
, Maryland
, on January 19, 1942.
He also became Director, Schools Training, Army Administration Schools, and was promoted to Brigadier General in early 1942. In this position Holdridge was responsible for implementing the opening of Officer Candidate School
s at colleges around the country, to provide twelve-week courses of instruction for the massive increase in the US Army's officer corps during 1942-1944. Holdridge saw that many of these schools were opened at smaller public and private colleges and universities that had been hard hit by loss of students to military service, helping to ensure their financial viability during the war years. For his efforts, he was awarded a Doctor of Laws degree by Grinnell College
on January 24, 1943.
and Thomas E. Dewey. Holdridge was quoted as saying:
Unexpected as this opinion might be coming from a recently retired general, it at least expressed a fairly orthodox Socialist position. From this point on, however, Holdridge's public statements would become increasingly unorthodox and inconsistent, reflecting no coherent ideological basis. Opposition to mental health reform
and the Roman Catholic Church, commitment to pacifism, and championship of returning Native American tribes to government by traditional chieftains, were among the few positions that he did hold consistently over the years.
presidential nomination in 1948. His candidacy was brought to an abrupt halt over a lawsuit Holdridge filed against then Representative John E. Rankin
(D) of Mississippi
. Holdridge filed for defamation of character, claiming Rankin had slandered him in comments made to a reporter in a Congressional cloakroom during 1946. A Federal District judge ruled against Holdridge, saying that such a conversation, in person, and within the Capitol building, was immune to lawsuit.
ticket. Holdridge, as reported in the press, promised:
At the Democratic Convention in July 1952, Holdridge, now a California resident, sought to contest that state's pledging of delegates to Estes Kefauver
. His attempt to replace twenty of the Kefauver delegates with his own Rally group was turned aside, the convention perhaps being alarmed by Holdridge's pledge to elevate the Department of Commerce to a branch of government in itself, equal to the executive
, legislative
, and judicial
branches. The American Vegetarian Party also rejected Holdridge, instead nominating Daniel J. Murphy for President in 1952.
ns, who had refused repatriation, and that he had written to his old classmate, then President Dwight D. Eisenhower
, about it. This was one of the earliest of what would soon become a Holdridge trademark event; writing a public letter to a well-known figure about a controversial issue, then calling a press conference about it.
In 1955, Holdridge again sought a nomination, this time as a vice-presidential candidate for the Prohibition Party
. Placed on the ticket in September 1955, with law professor Enoch A. Holtwick
as the nominee for president, Holdridge was replaced in August 1956 by Edwin M. Cooper, after Holdridge distributed virulently anti-Eisenhower pamphlets on the floor of the Republican Party
nominating convention.
Holdridge punctuated his non-election year with a fracas at a House Un-American Activities Committee hearing held in Los Angeles on December 7, 1956. Representative Clyde Doyle, a California Democrat, had Holdridge ejected from the building by a Federal Marshal after the two exchanged heated personal insults during the hearing.
.
Holdridge founded the "Minute Men for the Constitution" in 1957, which published two newsletters but did little else. In 1960 he established the "Constitutional Provisional Government of the United States", which claimed the Hopi Indians were still a sovereign nation, since they had never signed a peace treaty with the United States. Holdridge apparently appointed himself to represent the Hopi in this matter, without actually attracting any members of that tribe to his organization.
Holdridge and his first wife Marie had divorced in the 1940s. He then married a former dancer named Julie Phelps (19 October 1908-24 October 2003), and adopted her daughter Cheryl
. His political activities and incessant writing of public letters to newspapers and elected officials would prove a minor embarrassment to his stepdaughter's acting career, as they almost certainly did the diplomatic career of his son, John H. Holdridge.
By the early 1960s Holdridge had become estranged from his second wife and their daughter. Holdridge was not invited to the latter's wedding to Woolworth heir Lance Reventlow
in November 1964, and shortly thereafter, moved to Toledo, Ohio
. His principal occupation during the last years of his life was in attempting to keep alive his Hopi government project, which was rendered futile by his inability to attract either funding or supporters. Holdridge died at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Brecksville, Ohio, on September 29, 1974.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military officer, who was best known for being the only 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...
General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
to retire during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and for having several times sought presidential nominations on fringe party tickets after retirement. He was the father of diplomat John H. Holdridge
John H. Holdridge
John Herbert Holdridge was an American foreign service officer and diplomat, who was best known for having taken part in, and later recounted, Henry A. Kissinger's secret 1971 initiative to restore US diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. He also served as U.S...
and the adoptive father of actress Cheryl Holdridge
Cheryl Holdridge
Cheryl Holdridge was an American actress, best known as a cast member of the original Mickey Mouse Club.-Early life:Holdridge was born Cheryl Lynn Phelps in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her mother, Julie A...
.
Early life
Holdridge was born Herbert Charles Heitke on March 6, 1892, in WyandotteWyandotte, Michigan
Wyandotte is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 25,883 at the 2010 census, a decrease of 7.6% from 2000. Wyandotte is located in southeastern Michigan, approximately south of Detroit on the Detroit River, and is part of the collection of communities known as...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. His parents were German immigrants Emil Heitke and Ida Petzke, who came to the United States in 1881. Herbert Heitke grew up on the family farm, along with his four brothers and three sisters. He was able to secure an appointment 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...
at West Point, and graduated with the class of 1917. While at West Point, he legally changed his surname to "Holdridge", a move precipitated by the rising anti-German sentiment in America during its 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...
. Upon graduation, he married Marie Gunther (1896–1981), a New York factory worker's daughter.
Military career
Holdridge was commissioned a Second LieutenantSecond Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the U.S. Army in 1917, and assigned to the Quartermaster Corps of the Army's Reserve (II Corps) at Camp Gordon, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. He was promoted to First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
by 1920, and made Captain two years later, at which time he was assigned to duty with Headquarters Army Trains, with the First United States Army in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. This move reunited him with his wife, who had remained behind in New York after his posting to Georgia, and led to the birth in 1924 of their only child, John H. Holdridge
John H. Holdridge
John Herbert Holdridge was an American foreign service officer and diplomat, who was best known for having taken part in, and later recounted, Henry A. Kissinger's secret 1971 initiative to restore US diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. He also served as U.S...
.
By 1925 Holdridge had transferred to the Cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
, while still assigned to the Reserve Corps in New York. He was later appointed as Assistant Professor of History and Social Sciences at West Point, and also taught summer sessions at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
during 1928. Before 1930, Holdridge had been transferred to the Army's Cavalry School at 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...
, 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...
, his wife and son this time accompanying him.
Holdridge would remain with Training Commands for the rest of his Army career. He was promoted to Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
and headed the Plans Training Division of the Adjutant General's Department at the onset of World War II, and was assigned as Commandant of the Adjutant General School at Fort Washington
Fort Washington Park
Fort Washington, located near the community of Fort Washington, Maryland, USA, was for many decades the only defensive fort protecting Washington D.C. The original fort, overlooking the Potomac River, was completed in 1809, and was named Fort Warburton...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, on January 19, 1942.
He also became Director, Schools Training, Army Administration Schools, and was promoted to Brigadier General in early 1942. In this position Holdridge was responsible for implementing the opening of Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School or Officer Cadet School are institutions which train civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country....
s at colleges around the country, to provide twelve-week courses of instruction for the massive increase in the US Army's officer corps during 1942-1944. Holdridge saw that many of these schools were opened at smaller public and private colleges and universities that had been hard hit by loss of students to military service, helping to ensure their financial viability during the war years. For his efforts, he was awarded a Doctor of Laws degree by Grinnell College
Grinnell College
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College....
on January 24, 1943.
Controversy
In May 1944, Holdridge became the only US general officer to retire during the country's greatest military conflict. The reasons for this early retirement are not known. Speculation has centered on his later political actions; among his relatives it was rumored that he was denied permission to publish a book of economic theories and chose to retire. However, it is also possible that events in his personal life (see below) may have led to his early retirement.Political career
Within six months of having retired, Holdridge gave a speech at a Socialist Party meeting in New York City, decrying the ideas of the two presidential contenders, Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
and Thomas E. Dewey. Holdridge was quoted as saying:
In electing Dewey, instead of Roosevelt, you don't change horses in the middle of the stream, you merely change jockeys of the same old capitalistic horse, both competing for the privilege of leading the country into Fascism.
Unexpected as this opinion might be coming from a recently retired general, it at least expressed a fairly orthodox Socialist position. From this point on, however, Holdridge's public statements would become increasingly unorthodox and inconsistent, reflecting no coherent ideological basis. Opposition to mental health reform
Alaska Mental Health Enabling Act
The Alaska Mental Health Enabling Act of 1956 was an Act of Congress passed to improve mental health care in the United States territory of Alaska. It became the focus of a major political controversy after opponents nicknamed it the "Siberia Bill" and denounced it as being part of a communist...
and the Roman Catholic Church, commitment to pacifism, and championship of returning Native American tribes to government by traditional chieftains, were among the few positions that he did hold consistently over the years.
1948 presidential election
Notwithstanding his support for the Socialist ticket in 1944, Holdridge put himself forth as a candidate for the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
presidential nomination in 1948. His candidacy was brought to an abrupt halt over a lawsuit Holdridge filed against then Representative John E. Rankin
John E. Rankin
John Elliott Rankin was a Democratic congressman from the U.S. State of Mississippi who supported racial segregation and, on the floor of the United States House of Representatives, voiced racist views on African Americans and Jews and even accused Albert Einstein of being a communist agitator.In...
(D) of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. Holdridge filed for defamation of character, claiming Rankin had slandered him in comments made to a reporter in a Congressional cloakroom during 1946. A Federal District judge ruled against Holdridge, saying that such a conversation, in person, and within the Capitol building, was immune to lawsuit.
1952 presidential election
In February 1952 Holdridge was selected as the provisional presidential candidate for the "American Rally for Peace, Abundance and the Constitution" AKA the American Rally Party, a splinter group that was seeking to take-over the Democratic nominating convention later that summer. Three months later, Holdridge was also lobbying to be selected as the candidate for President on the American Vegetarian PartyAmerican Vegetarian Party
The American Vegetarian Party was a United States political party formed on July 28, 1947. The party held conventions and nominated candidates for President and Vice-President in several national elections, although they never seriously pursued ballot access or official recognition as a political...
ticket. Holdridge, as reported in the press, promised:
In the White House, I would obtain the best vegetarian chef in the country to cook such delicious vegetarian meals that guests would wonder why they ever thought meat edible.
At the Democratic Convention in July 1952, Holdridge, now a California resident, sought to contest that state's pledging of delegates to Estes Kefauver
Estes Kefauver
Carey Estes Kefauver July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S...
. His attempt to replace twenty of the Kefauver delegates with his own Rally group was turned aside, the convention perhaps being alarmed by Holdridge's pledge to elevate the Department of Commerce to a branch of government in itself, equal to the executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
, legislative
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
, and judicial
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
branches. The American Vegetarian Party also rejected Holdridge, instead nominating Daniel J. Murphy for President in 1952.
1956 presidential election
Embittered by his double rejection, Holdridge himself resigned from the American Rally on November 5, 1952, claiming that it was being devoted to "Marxist principles". He returned to California and started "The Holdridge Foundation" out of his home in Sherman Oaks. In 1953, he used donations to it to publish his book of political allegory, The Fables of Moronia. Later that year, he announced to reporters that he wanted to talk to American GI's held by the North KoreaNorth Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
ns, who had refused repatriation, and that he had written to his old classmate, then President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, about it. This was one of the earliest of what would soon become a Holdridge trademark event; writing a public letter to a well-known figure about a controversial issue, then calling a press conference about it.
In 1955, Holdridge again sought a nomination, this time as a vice-presidential candidate for the Prohibition Party
Prohibition Party
The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages. It is the oldest existing third party in the US. The party was an integral part of the temperance movement...
. Placed on the ticket in September 1955, with law professor Enoch A. Holtwick
Enoch A. Holtwick
Enoch Arden Holtwick, was an American educator with a long record of actively supporting the temperance movement. He was the Prohibition Party candidate for Illinois State Treasurer in 1936; its candidate for U.S...
as the nominee for president, Holdridge was replaced in August 1956 by Edwin M. Cooper, after Holdridge distributed virulently anti-Eisenhower pamphlets on the floor of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nominating convention.
Holdridge punctuated his non-election year with a fracas at a House Un-American Activities Committee hearing held in Los Angeles on December 7, 1956. Representative Clyde Doyle, a California Democrat, had Holdridge ejected from the building by a Federal Marshal after the two exchanged heated personal insults during the hearing.
Later life
Despite having failed to secure a presidential nomination from even minor national parties in three different elections over a dozen years, Holdridge would always claim to have been nominated by the Vegetarians and the Prohibitionists, an achievement of such ephemeral value that no reporter ever questioned it. After 1956 he never again sought a nomination from established political parties. Instead, he devoted his efforts to nascent movements designed to empower American Indians, and to anti-Catholic propaganda against the 1960 presidential campaign of John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
.
Holdridge founded the "Minute Men for the Constitution" in 1957, which published two newsletters but did little else. In 1960 he established the "Constitutional Provisional Government of the United States", which claimed the Hopi Indians were still a sovereign nation, since they had never signed a peace treaty with the United States. Holdridge apparently appointed himself to represent the Hopi in this matter, without actually attracting any members of that tribe to his organization.
Holdridge and his first wife Marie had divorced in the 1940s. He then married a former dancer named Julie Phelps (19 October 1908-24 October 2003), and adopted her daughter Cheryl
Cheryl Holdridge
Cheryl Holdridge was an American actress, best known as a cast member of the original Mickey Mouse Club.-Early life:Holdridge was born Cheryl Lynn Phelps in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her mother, Julie A...
. His political activities and incessant writing of public letters to newspapers and elected officials would prove a minor embarrassment to his stepdaughter's acting career, as they almost certainly did the diplomatic career of his son, John H. Holdridge.
By the early 1960s Holdridge had become estranged from his second wife and their daughter. Holdridge was not invited to the latter's wedding to Woolworth heir Lance Reventlow
Lance Reventlow
Lance Reventlow, born Lawrence Graf von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow was a wealthy playboy, entrepreneur, and racing driver....
in November 1964, and shortly thereafter, moved to Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
. His principal occupation during the last years of his life was in attempting to keep alive his Hopi government project, which was rendered futile by his inability to attract either funding or supporters. Holdridge died at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Brecksville, Ohio, on September 29, 1974.
Further reading
- The Fables of Moronia, by Herbert C. Holdridge, The Holdridge Foundation, Sherman Oaks, CA, 1953