The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-01-10
Death of a Noted Catholic officer.

Brigadier General George H. Tor
ney, surgeon general of the United
States army, and one of the best
known of the Catholic officers in the
service, died in Washington on De-
cember 9th, and according to his
wish, was buried at West Point, New
York.
General Torney was born in Balti-
more, Nd, on June 1, 1850, and was
appointed to the army as first lieu
tenant and assistant surgeon June &c,
1875, Just five years later, he was
promoted to the rank of captain. On
June 6, 1894, he became major and
surgeon, and on August 6, 1908, lieu.
tenant colonel and deputy surgeon
general. He was promoted to the rank
of colonel ion April %, 1908, and on
January IA, 1909, he became brigadier
general, succeeding General O'Reilly
(another Catholic) as surgeon gen.
eral. General Torney had his degree
of M. D. from the University of vir-
ginia in 1870, and soon after entered
the United States navy as a past as
sistant surgeon, but resigned in 1875,
to enter the other arm of the service.
The death of General Torney takes
away from the army one of its most
efficient medical officers, and one who
has done much toward building up
the medical branch of the service.
Some OF the most important advances
in military surgery have been inau-
gurated in the United States army
under his direction. Many of the
army hospitals about the country
were erected under his direction,
prominent among these being the
army and navy general hospital at
Hot Springs, Arkansas, and the Wal
ter Reed Army General hospital in
Washington. He brought fame to
himself during the San Francisco
earthquake, at which time he was
commandant of the Letterman Gen.
eral hospital in that city. When he re-
allied the seriousness of the disaster,
he opened the hospital to the public
upon his own responsibility and took
care of the refugees.
Noted for his lovable disposition
and quiet manner, General Torney
was the idol of many cadet at West
Point. So we'll did they like him that
the Cadet Howitzer, the academy year
book, was dedicated to him by the
class of 1898. This was the first time
that such an honor was accorded an
officer, but the practice of dedicating
the book to some officer has been fol-
lowed each year since the action of
the class of 1898. His popularity at
West Point when he was there as a
major was responsible for the tender
of permanent detail there with the
rank of lieutenant colonel. General
Torney declined this offer because he
wanted to become surgeon general of
the army some day.
During his early service in the army,
General Torney was detailed on the
frontier, where the Indians were Civ
ing trouble at that time. At the out
break of the Spanish-American war,
he fitted out and commanded the hos
pital ship Relief, and most of his SER
vice during that war was in Cuba. He
was among the first to realize the
value of the X-ray and was the first
to use it in the army, having put it
into use on the Relief.
General Torney received his first
appointment as surgeon general of the
army from former President Roose
welt. 1t is of interest to note that ii
was the then Major Torney, who, in
1898, while on detail in the surgeon
generals office here, put Theodore
Roosevelt through his physical exami
nation for appointment as colonel Of
the Rough Riders.
Practically all General Torney's eff
forts were spent in improving the eff
cheney of the medical corps of the
American army, and everything he
did was done in quiet way. He was
never one for spreading broadcast his
achievements, but worked always fol
improving the medical service, in his
own quiet way.