James Devereux | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1959 | |
| Preceded by | William P. Bolton |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Baugh Brewster |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Patrick Sinnott Devereux (1903-02-20)February 20, 1903 Cabana,Cuba |
| Died | August 5, 1988(1988-08-05) (aged 85) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1923–1948 |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Navy Cross |
James Patrick Sinnott Devereux (February 20, 1903 – August 5, 1988) was aUnited States Marine Corps general,Navy Cross recipient, andRepublican congressman. He was the officer-in-charge (OIC) of the1st Defense Battalion Detachment during thedefense of Wake Island in December 1941. He was captured on Wake Island as aprisoner of war, along with his men, after a 15-day battle with the Japanese. After his release in September 1945, he concluded his military career as a colonel in 1948, where upon his retirement he was promoted to brigadier general. He later represented thesecond congressional district of the state ofMaryland in theUnited States House of Representatives for four terms from 1951 to 1959. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election asGovernor of Maryland in 1958.
Devereux was born in Cabana,Cuba,[1] where his father, Dr. John Ryan Devereaux, aU.S. Army surgeon, was stationed. In 1910, the family moved toChevy Chase, Maryland, on the north border of theDistrict of Columbia withWashington, D.C. There, Devereux, one of ten children,[2] rode to hounds inRock Creek Park and played polo. At age 10 he obtained a driver's license from theDistrict of Columbia, which had no age requirement at the time.
Devereux also attended the Army and Navy Preparatory School inWashington, D.C., then theTome School overlooking theSusquehanna River atPort Deposit, Maryland,LaVilla inLausanne, Switzerland (when his parents lived inVienna, Austria), and laterLoyola College ofBaltimore, aJesuitRoman Catholic institution in Maryland.[1]
Devereux enlisted in theUnited States Marine Corps in July 1923 at age 20, was commissioned asecond lieutenant in February 1925, and then was assigned to duty inNorfolk, Virginia,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Marine barracks atQuantico, Virginia, and atGuantanamo Bay, Cuba. In 1926, he was detailed to the mail guard detachment inNew York City and later was transferred to the force of Marines then serving inNicaragua as a company officer.[1]
Returning to the United States early in 1927, he was assigned to theUSSUtah and subsequently was sent ashore again to Nicaragua. Shortly thereafter he was ordered toChina where he was promoted tofirst lieutenant. While in China he also commanded the Mounted Detachment of the U.S. Legation Guard atBeiping.[1]
In 1933, following a year's tour of duty atQuantico, he was assigned to the Coast Artillery School atFort Monroe, Virginia.[3] Following his promotion tocaptain in December 1935, he was ordered back to Quantico, where, until 1936, he instructed in the Base Defense Weapons School and aided in the preparation of a Marine Corps manual on Base Defense Weapons.[4]
In 1938, following a tour of duty with the Marine detachment on board the USSUtah, Devereux was transferred to the Marine Corps Base atSan Diego.[4]
In January 1941, Devereux was ordered toPearl Harbor in theHawaiian Islands and later dispatched to Wake Island as the officer-in-charge of the1st Defense Battalion's Detachment onWake Island, located in the northwestPacific Ocean.[4] Devereux and the men of the 1st Defense Battalion arrived at Wake Island on October 15, 1941 aboard theUSS Regulus (AF-57). When they arrived there were already 1,146 civilian construction workers on the island who were busy improving the atoll's infrastructure.[5] On the morning of Monday, December 8, 1941, he received the message that Pearl Harbor had been attacked by the Japanese a few hours earlier (Sunday, December 7, 1941).[6] In the fight that followed, (theBattle of Wake Island) then-Major Devereux, and his Marines, supported by Marine Fighter Squadron 211, damaged two cruisers, sank two destroyers, one escort vessel, and destroyed or damaged a total of 72 aircraft, and probably sank one submarine. Two more destroyers were damaged the last day. However, later, after a second more intensive larger invasion force attacked, after days of bitter fighting, the 449 Marines surrendered to the Japanese on December 23, 1941.[7]
After his capture, he remained on Wake Island until January 12, 1942, when he was sent away with his men on theNita Maru. He stopped atYokohama, where some American officers debarked, but later arrived atWusong, located downriver fromShanghai, on January, 24.[8] He remained there until December 9, 1942, when he was transferred toJiangwan, where he spent 29 months imprisoned. For five weeks, he stayed atFengtai, near Beiping, and then was transferred to camps in centralHokkaidō,Japan. Devereux was released from the Hokkaidō Island prison camp on September 15, 1945.[9]
After a brief rehabilitation leave, he was assigned as a student in the Senior Course at the Amphibious Warfare School at Quantico from September 1946 to May 1947. Upon completion of his studies, he received orders to theFirst Marine Division atCamp Pendleton,Oceanside, California. He served as the commanding officer of the Division'sHeadquarters Battalion until retiring on July 31, 1948.[10] In 1947, his book,Story of Wake Island, was published.
Devereux was advanced to the rank ofbrigadier general upon retirement in accordance with law, having been specially commended for the performance of duty in actual combat. For his leadership in defending the tiny American outpost for 15 days against overwhelming odds, Devereux was awarded theNavy Cross. His citation reads:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Major James Patrick Sinnott Devereux, United States Marine Corps, for distinguished and heroic conduct in the line of his profession, as Commanding Officer of the First Marine Defense Battalion, Naval Air Station, Wake Island. Major Devereux was responsible for directing defenses of that post during the Japanese siege from 7 through December 22, 1941, against impossible odds. Major Devereux's inspiring leadership and the valiant devotion to duty of his command contributed in large measure to the outstanding success of these vital missions and reflect great credit upon the United States Naval Service.
BGen Devereux's awards include:
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Devereux became eligible for the Prisoner of War Service Medal when it was authorized on November 8, 1985.
Devereux took up horse farming,[11] with a farm nearGlyndon, Maryland, in suburbanBaltimore County; and following his retirement from the Marine Corps, Devereux moved to a 200-acre (0.81 km2) farm atStevenson, Maryland.[11]
In 1950, Devereux was elected as aRepublican to theU.S. Congress for Maryland's 2nd Congressional District by defeating incumbent Democratic Rep.William P. Bolton. Devereux would serve four terms in theU.S. House of Representatives from January 3, 1951, to January 3, 1959. During his Congressional career, he supported public schooldesegregation and endingracial discrimination in employment.[11] He served on theHouse Armed Services Committee from July 3, 1952 (replacing John Anderson (R-Calif.)) until he left Congress.[12] Devereaux did not sign the 1956Southern Manifesto and voted in favor of theCivil Rights Act of 1957.[13] He was not a candidate for renomination in 1958, but was an unsuccessful candidate for election asGovernor of Maryland against DemocratJ. Millard Tawes fromCrisfield onMaryland's lower Eastern Shore of theChesapeake Bay. In 1960, he was named Republican Party chairman in his congressional district.
He later served as director of public safety forBaltimore County, Maryland, from December 1962 to 1966, supervising the police and fire departments.
He was a member of theSons of the American Revolution.
He was resident ofRuxton, Maryland, until his death.
Devereux is the grandson ofJoseph F. Sinnott, a prominent Irish businessman inPhiladelphia who made a fortune as a co-owner ofGibson's Rye Whisky. Devereux's mother, Annie Sinnott Devereux, died on October 27, 1944, while he was interred in a Japanese Prison Camp.[2] While stationed in Peiping, China, Devereux met Mary Brush Welch, the daughter of Colonel John P. Welch, a U.S. Army officer.[14] They were married in 1932. They had one son, James Patrick, and one daughter who died at birth (1934).[15] Mrs. Devereux died of complications from diabetes in 1942, shortly after his capture by the Japanese on Wake Island. She was buried inArlington National Cemetery. In 1946, he married Rachel Clarke Cooke and they had two sons. The second Mrs. Devereux died in 1977.[11] He married a third time, to Edna Burnside Howard, in 1978, gaining a stepson and three stepdaughters.[11] His sister, Margaret, married Brigadier GeneralRichard H. Jeschke, USMC.
Brigadier General Devereux died at age 85 in Stella MarisHospice in the county seat ofTowson, Maryland, just north ofBaltimore on August 5, 1988, frompneumonia.[11] He is interred inArlington National Cemetery in northernVirginia overlooking thePotomac River.[16]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James Devereux | 99,497 | 50.2 | |
| Democratic | William Bolton (Incumbent) | 96,498 | 48.7 | |
| Progressive | Thelma Gerende | 2,129 | 1.1 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James Devereux (Incumbent) | 95,811 | 50.2 | |
| Democratic | A. Gordon Boone | 60,121 | 38.6 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James Devereux (Incumbent) | 67,179 | 56.1 | |
| Democratic | William Bolton | 52,540 | 43.9 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James Devereux (Incumbent) | 103,103 | 58.1 | |
| Democratic | A. Gordon Boone | 74,224 | 41.9 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | J. Millard Tawes | 485,061 | 63.6 | |
| Republican | James Devereux | 278,173 | 36.5 | |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Marine Corps.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)'...we had our own military discipline regardless of the fact that we were POWs....And I think this is one of the things that held our men together, held our camp together – tighter, and gave us a sense of respectability even though we were prisoners.'... The person most responsible for fostering this spirit of order, pride, and self-respect was Wake's senior Marine, Major James P. S. Devereux. In the prewar Marine Corps, Devereux earned a reputation as a humorless martinet, and most of his enlisted subordinates disliked him for his aloof manner and nitpicking command style.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | U.S. Congressman, Maryland 2nd District 1951—1959 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Maryland 1958 | Succeeded by |
