Evening star., 1927-04-13
.jERVEY MENTIONED
FOR TRAFFIC POST
Commissioners Study EIigi-
biIity of General to Sue
Ceed EIdridge.

Early appointment of a director OF
traffic to fill the vacancy created by
the demotion of NJ. O. Eldridge to as
sistant director was forecast today at
the District Building. The post is eX
pected to be filled within the next 1C
days.
THE Commissioners have given
serious consideration to the more than
so applicants for the position, and
have virtually decided to appoint q
retired Army officer, it is understood
IL it can be done without conflict with
the law.
There are several statutes which
prohibit retired officers from holding
compensate offices, and the Commits
sioners are now having a study made
of these laws to determine whether
the man they would like to select is
affected by any of them.
Gen. Jervey Mentioned.
The officer, it is reported, is Brig
Gen. Henry Jervey of Friendship
Heights, Md, whose service during
the war won for him distinguished
service medal. Gen. Jervey was re
tired from the Engineer Corps of the
Army April 10, 1922.
Commissioner Proctor l.. Dougherty
vino has administrative supervision
over the traffic department, has been
in conference with Gen. Jervey, and
it was intimated that the retired Of
ficer had agreed to accept the posi-.
ton If he could do so legally.
Gen. Jervey is a native of Virginia
e. LID IL ;. 1,4sa 4,
of the University of the South at
Swanee. Tenn, and the West Point
Military Academy and the Engineer.
ing School of Application. His distin-
guished service in the Army won for
him promotions through the various
grades, and in 1920 he was made a
brigadier general.
Headed River Work.
The first important military assign
ment of Gen. Jervey was in the fourth
district, where he was in charge OF
improvement work on the Mississippi
River from 1893 to 1899. The follow
ing year he was placed in charge OF
the rivers and harbors improvement
on the west coast of Florida and the
defenses of Tampa Bay.
In 1901 he went to the Philippines
and two years later he returned and
was detailed as instructor and profes
sor at the Military Academy. From
1905 to 1910 he was in charge Of riv
ers, harbors and defenses of the Mo
bile district.
For the next five years he was
in charge of river improvements in
the Cincinnati district and in Septem
ber. 1917, he was appointed comman
der of the Goth Field Artillery Brigade
at Camp Green. Charlotte, n. c. In
1918 he was made chief of the division
of operations Of the general staff, and
he served subsequently as comman'
der Of the 11th Brigade, Field Artil'
lery
The distinguished service medal was
awarded to Gen. Jervey for especially
meritorious and conspicuous service
as director of operations, general
staff, and as assistant to the chief OF
staff during the war;
Did Not Seek Post.
Gen. Jervey also was a commander
of the French Legion of Honor, q
grand officer in the Order of the Bel
gian Order of Leopold, a companion
| of the Bath, and a member OF the
| Order of the Crown of Italy. He is
the author of warfare of the Future
Gen. Jervey was not himself an ap'
plicant for the traffic directors post
| it is understood, but his name was
| recommended by an officer in the
corps of engineers Of the army. In
the event that it is found impossible
for Gen. Jervey to take the post be
cause of the statutes forbidding re
| tired officers from accepting compen
sable positions, the Commissioners
are expected to turn their attention to
several of the applicants whom they
believe would make excellent ap'
| pointees