Francis William Farrell (28 May 1900 – 27 January 1981) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army. He successively commanded the 82nd Airborne Division, V Corps and Seventh United States Army.

Early life Farrell was born on 28 May 1900, in Chicago, Illinois.Official U.S. Army Directory, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1957, page 266Social Security Death Index

Start of military career

He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1920. Initially assigned to the infantry branch, General Farrell graduated from the Infantry Officer Course in 1921.Official U.S. Army Directory, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1949, page 168 He then served in several infantry assignments, including postings to Hawaii and China.Seattle Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1957, Passenger and Crew List, Ship President Madison, August 13, 1926 In 1928, General Farrell transferred to the Field Artillery branch. He completed the Field Artillery Officer Course in 1928.Official U.S. Army Directory, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1954, page 232

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, he was an instructor at West Point.U.S. Federal Census Entry, Francis W. Farrell, 1930 he graduated from the Command and General Staff College in 1939.Official U.S. Army Directory, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1956, page 262

World War II From 1942 to 1944, Farrell served in the Pacific Theater as chief of staff of the 11th Airborne Division.U.S.A. Airborne: 50th Anniversary, 1940-1990, by Bart Hagerman, 1990, page 177The Angels: a History of the 11th Airborne Division, by E.M. Flanagan, 1989, page 6 He commanded the 11th Airborne Division Artillery from 1944 to 1946.The American Catholic Who's Who, published by Walter Romig, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, 1973, Volume 20, page 118

Post-World War II After World War II, Farrell was assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina as commander of the 13th Airborne Division Artillery.New York Red Book, Volume 72, 1963, page 363 In mid-1946, Farrell was named chief of staff of the 82nd Airborne Division.Newspaper article, State, Spa CD Directors to Attend Board Meeting, Schenectady Gazette, July 6, 1963 He served in this assignment for only a few months before being appointed as chief of the Air Branch at Army Ground Forces, where he remained from late 1946 until 1948.Newspaper article, Siena ROTC Review by Farrell Set, Schenectady Gazette, April 30, 1962 Farrell was named director of the Technical Training Group at Sandia Missile Base, New Mexico in 1948.Newspaper article, Truman Proposes Shift of Generals, New York Times, June 23, 1950Sandia National Laboratories: the Postwar Decade, by Necha Stewart Furman, 1990, page 690

Korean War From 1950 to 1951, he was commander of the Korean Military Advisory Group, responsible for training and logistical support to the fledgling South Korean Army.Advising Indigenous Forces: American Advisors in Korea, Vietnam, and El Salvador , by Robert D. Ramsey III, Combat Studies Institute Press, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, 2006, page 21Hell or high water: MacArthur's landing at Inchon, by Walter J. Sheldon, 1968, page 14Military Advisors in Korea: KMAG in Peace and War, by Robert K. Sawyer, Walter G. Hermes, published by U.S. Department of the Army Office of Military History, 1962, page 156

Post-Korean War In 1952, Farrell was assigned as deputy assistant chief of staff for operations on the Army Staff, serving until 1953.Newspaper article, 3 General Officers Given New Posts, by United Press International, Stars and Stripes, Europe, Mediterranean, and North Africa Editions, June 1, 1952Newspaper article, Army Gives New Assignments to 11 Generals, by United Press International, Stars and Stripes, Europe, Mediterranean, and North Africa Editions, October 2, 1953 He commanded the 82nd Airborne Division from 1953 to 1955. In 1955, he was assigned as special assistant for national security affairs, advising the Joint Chiefs of Staff.Newspaper article, 3 Generals Shift, Loucks Retiring, by Stars and Stripes Washington Bureau, Stars and Stripes, Europe, Mediterranean, and North Africa Editions, May 28, 1955Newspaper article, New 6th Army Chief; Mathewson to Succeed Young in West Coast Command, New York Times, April 23, 1957 General Farrell was named to command V Corps in 1957, serving until 1959.Newspaper article, Mathewson Named 6th Army CG, Stars and Stripes, April 26, 19573rd Infantry Division page, U.S. Army Europe Web siteClass of 1920 class rings page United States Military Academy, Association of GraduatesPamphlet, The History of V Corps, by Dr. Charles E. Kirkpatrick, V Corps Historian, November 2001, page 25 In 1959, General Farrell was assigned as commander of the Seventh United States Army, remaining in this post until he reached retirement age in 1960.Newspaper column, The Washington Scene: Significant Shifts, by Robert S. Allen and Paul Scott, published in The Southeast Missourian, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, April 12, 1960, by Associated Press, published in the Milwaukee Journal, May 13, 1960

Civilian work After retiring from the Army in 1960,Newspaper article, West Point to Get New Chief July 1, New York Times, May 14, 1960Newspaper article, Farrell Retiring, by United Press International, Stars and Stripes, Europe, Mediterranean, and North Africa Editions, May 14, 1960Newspaper article, 7th Army, Bonn Troops Honor Retiring Farrell, by Herb Scott, Staff Writer, Stars and Stripes, Stars and Stripes, Europe, Mediterranean, and North Africa Editions, July 1, 1960 General Farrell was appointed as New York State's Civil Defense Director, serving from 1961 to 1963.Newspaper article, Gen Huebner to Quit as N.Y. Defense Chief , Chicago Tribune, January 11, 1961Newspaper article, Lieut. F. W. Farrell Marries Jean Ryan, New York Times, June 25, 1961Newspaper article, Civil Defense Head in State Resigns, New York Times, July 6, 1963

Retirement and death In retirement, he resided in Arlington, Virginia, where he died on January 27, 1981. He was buried in Section 30 of Arlington National Cemetery.

Farrell had married Anne Ramsey (27 December 1909 – 20 May 2011) on 15 July 1931, at West Point, New York. The couple had a son, a daughter and six grandchildren. Their son Francis William Farrell Jr. (born 5 October 1938) is a 1960 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy who served in Vietnam and attained the rank of colonel. After Lt. Gen. Farrell's death, Anne Farrell remarried in April 1982 with retired General James Edward Moore, whose first wife had died in September 1976. Anne Farrell Moore was interred next to her first husband on 6 September 2011.

Awards His awards and decorations included two Distinguished Service Medals, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, two awards of the Bronze Star, and two Air Medals.Official U.S. Army Register, published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1960, page 330Alphabetical Index, Recipients of Major Military Awards, Military Times, Hall of Valor Web Site

References

External links Arlington National Cemetery Generals of World War II