William Hayward | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York | |
| In office 1921–1925 | |
| Appointed by | Warren Harding |
| Preceded by | Francis Gordon Caffey |
| Succeeded by | Emory Buckner |
| Member of the New York Public Service Commission from the 1st district | |
| In office c. 1915–1918 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 29, 1877 |
| Died | October 13, 1944 (aged 67) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Relations | Monroe Hayward (father) Brooke Hayward (granddaughter) |
| Children | Leland Hayward |
| Education | University of Nebraska (BA) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 2nd Nebraska Volunteer Infantry Regiment 369th Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Spanish–American War World War I |
William Hayward (April 29, 1877 – October 13, 1944) was an American lawyer and commander of theHarlem Hellfighters during World War I.
Hayward was born on April 29, 1877, inNebraska City, Nebraska, the son of Nebraska SenatorMonroe Hayward and Jane Pelton. He graduated fromNebraska City High School in 1893.[1] After high school, Hayward attended the University of Nebraska, where he was prominent in athletics and a member ofPhi Delta Theta. He graduated in 1897.[2] He took graduate courses inMunich, Germany, from 1896 to 1897.
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Hayward began practicing law in Nebraska City in 1897. When theSpanish–American War began, he became a captain in the Second Nebraska Volunteer Infantry. He was subsequently promoted to major, and then colonel of the regiment. In 1899, he served as his father's private secretary when the latter was Senator. From 1901 to 1902, he was county judge ofOtoe County. He was elected chairman of theNebraska Republican State Committee three times, and in 1908 he was made secretary of theRepublican National Committee. PresidentWilliam Howard Taft offered to make him first assistantpostmaster general, but he declined the offer and continued his law practice.[3]
In the1910 United States House of Representatives election, Hayward was the Republican candidate forNebraska's 1st congressional district. He lost the election to Democratic incumbentJohn A. Maguire.[4] After the election, he travelled around the world. Upon his return, he settled inNew York City and began practicing law there as a member of the firm Wing & Russell on14 Wall Street from 1911 to 1912.[3] In 1913, he became deputy assistantNew York County District Attorney. In 1914, he became the assistant district attorney. He then managedCharles Seymour Whitman's gubernatorial campaign. In 1915, Governor Whitman appointed him counsel to the governor, and later that year, he served as counsel to a New York State Legislature committee to investigate theNew York Public Service Commission. He was then appointed a public service commissioner for the first district, resigning from the position in 1918.[5]
When America enteredWorld War I, Hayward transferred himself into active duty in the National Guard as a colonel of Infantry. As there were regiments available for him, he recruited, trained, and uniformed the 15th New York Infantry, an all-black volunteer regiment. The regiment was later nicknamed theHarlem Hellfighters. The regiment, designated the 369th Infantry Regiment, arrived in Europe in the spring of 1917.General Pershing, under whom Hayward served as a cadet at the University of Nebraska, had the regiment fight with the French. They fought at the front for 191 days, longer than any other American regiment, and participated in theChampagne-Marne,Aisne-Marne, andMeuse-Argonne campaigns. Hayward was awarded theCroix de Guerre with gold palm and silver star and theDistinguished Service Medal, was commended byMarshal Foch and General Pershing, and was made an officer of theLegion of Honour thanks to the recommendation ofGeneral Petain. He was mustered out with the rest of the regiment in March 1919.[6]
In 1921, Hayward was appointedUnited States attorney for the Southern District of New York, an office he held until 1925. He was chairman of the 1920 State Republican Convention, and was a delegate to the1924 Republican National Convention. In 1926 and 1927, he and his stepson Philip Manwaring Plant hunted big game in Africa and gave a number of trophies to theMuseum of Natural History. In 1929, he and Plant went toFranz Josef Land in theArctic and brought back several live polar bears for theBronx Zoo and one for theProspect Park Zoo.[7]
Hayward was a member ofPhi Delta Phi,Theta Nu Epsilon, theNational Geographic Society, theNew York State Bar Association, theNew York City Bar Association, theUnited Spanish War Veterans, theSons of the American Revolution, theUnion League Club, theUniversity Club of New York, theAtlantic Yacht Club,[8] theNaval and Military Order of the Spanish War, and theAmerican Legion.[5]
In 1901, he married Sarah Coe Ireland.[1] They divorced in 1912.[9] In 1919, he married Mae C. Plant, the widow ofMortimer F. Plant. His son from his first marriage was theatrical agentLeland Hayward. His granddaughter,Brooke Hayward, was an actress.[7] His great-granddaughter,Marin Hopper, is a designer.[10]
Hayward died inDoctors Hospital on October 13, 1944. At his funeral inSt. Bartholomew's Church, seventeen officers from his old regiment (including congressmanHamilton Fish, who was a major in the regiment) served as honorary pallbearers, and 60 black members of the regiment formed a guard of honor around the coffin.[11] He was buried inCedar Grove Cemetery inNew London, Connecticut.
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York 1921–1925 | Succeeded by |
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| People | |
| Other | |
