Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1934-09-01
GEN. /. G. BISHOP
TAKES OWN LIFE
Prominent Army Officer Dies
on Day of Retirement.
Funeral Tuesday.

Mai. Gen. Harry Gore Bishop, for
mer chief of Field Artillery, termi-
mated a long and brilliant Army |
career on the day of his retirement !
for disability by shooting himself to
death with his service revolver about |
o'clock yesterday afternoon while |
in the second-fioor bath room of his |
home at 6314 Sixteenth street. He !
was so years old.
A certificate of suicide was issued |
by Coroner A. Magruder Macdonald, !
who said that Gen. Bishop had been |
respondent over a heart ailment |
which had beset him at least two
years ago. Shot once through the
back of the head. Gen. Bishops body |
was found lying beside the gun. The |
bullet entered the right side of the
head, passed through and lodged in
the plaster of the bath room.
Shot Awakened Wife.
Gen. Bishops widow and sole sur
vivor, Mrs Ella Van Horn Bishop, |
told the coroner she was asleep in an
adjoining room when she heard the
pistol shot. Mrs. Bishop and maid
were the only other occupants OF the
house They summoned assistance,
but Gen. Bishop had died before a
physician could reach his side.
His widow, whom he married seven
wears ago, was the divorced wife of
Maj. Gen Benjamin D. Foulois, chief
of the Army Air Corps. She had been
! up most of Thursday night because of
her husbands illness, police were told,
and had gone to bed to get some rest
when the tragedy occurred.
Gen. Bishop completed his tour OF
duty March 9, and since that time had
been living with Mrs. Bishop at the
Sixteenth street home.
Burial will be in Arlington National
Cemetery, with full military honors,
following funeral services at the grave |
side at IL o'clock Tuesday morning. |
An Army chaplain will officiate.
Commanded Unit Since 1880.
Gen. Bishop had been in command |
of the Field Artillery since February |
l6 1880. Under his supervision this |
branch of the service had reached a |
high state of efficiency and had made |
rapid progress toward mechanization. |
He came to Washington from Scho- |
field Barracks in Hawaii where he |
had commanded the 9th Field Artil-
lery since February, 1929.
During his IS years of service Gen. |
Bishop held many important COM |
mands in this country and its terri |
torial possessions and had graduated |
from all the service schools Of the |
Army.
He was born in Grand Rapids,
Mich, November %, 1874, and ap-
pointed to the United States Mill |
tary Academy from Indiana in June, !
1893 Upon his graduation from West |
Point in 1897 he was commissioned a
second lieutenant in the 10Th Infan-
try. He was to remain only a year, |
however, in the Infantry and was then
transferred to the 9Th Field Artillery |
at Fort McHenry, in Baltimore. He
remained in the Artillery service |
throughout the remainder of his Army |
career.
Went to Philippines in 1899.
After a brief term at the Maryland |
post, Gen. Bishop served in Washing |
ton and in 1899 left for a tour OF
service in the Philippines.
While in the Philippines he was in
charge of the Department of Licenses
until February, 1901. when he again
saw active duty with the old 18th
Field Artillery at Iloilo and later
commanded a detachment at Cobu.
While in the Philippines he was pro-
NOTED to captain in 1901 and returned
| to the United States.
During the years following, Gen.
Bishop saw duty at numerous posts
| from coast to coast, one Of his early
assignments being at Fort Potten, N.
Y, where he was adjutant Of the
School of Submarine Defense. For
| brief period in 1906 he was on duty
| as an Artillery engineer in the District
| of Columbia and later was assigned to
the School of the Line at Fort Leav-
enworth, Kans., from which he was
graduated in 1911. He was graduated
from the Army Staff College in 1912.
Made Lieutenant Colonel in 1916.
5th Field Artillery August 26, 1912,
and on July l, 1915, was promoted to
lieutenant colonel of that same COM
mand.
Gen. Bishop saw duty on the Mexi-
can border during the disturbances
in 1916 and on May Is, 1917, was
promoted to colonel of the Field Ar
tillery after service in California and
at the Signal Corps Aviation School.
When the United States entered |
the World War he was given the rank |
of brigadier general in the National |
Army June 26, 1918, and assigned to |
Camp Taylor. KY. in command of |
the 159th Field Artillery Brigade. He
sailed for France in August of that |
eyar with this brigade, continuing in |
its command until shortly before the
armistice, when he was transferred
to the Sd Field Artillery Brigade
which he commanded until his re-
turn to the United States in June,
1919.
Decorated for Service.
For exceptionally meritoriouS and
distinguished services" while in COM
mand of the Sd Field Artillery Bril-
gade, Gen. Bishop was awarded the
Distinguished Service Medal for his
record during the battle of the Meuse-
Argonne and in the subsequent adj
vance to Sedan at the time of the
armistice. He was also made an Off
| Ger of the French Legion of Honor.
After his return from the World
War Gen. Bishop, who reverted to his
regular rank of colonel in the Field
Artillery, was assigned as an instruc-
tor in the Army War College in Wash
ington. He remained on duty there
until February, 1921, when he became
chief of the training and instruction
branch of the general staff.
In February, 1922, he was made
chief of the 4th Corps Area, but after |
a few months he was detailed to serv-
ice in the Philippines as chief of staff |
of that department. Returning to the |
United States in the Spring of 1925, |
he took command of the 18th Field |
Artillery at Fort Sam Houston. Tex,
until troncfnrrnd fuo xnorc lotar IN |