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Last surviving United States war veterans

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This is an incomplete list of the last surviving veterans of American wars. Exactly who is the last surviving veteran is often an issue of contention, especially with records from long-ago wars. The "last man standing" was often very young at the time of enlistment and in many cases had lied about his age to gain entry into the service, which confuses matters further.

17th century

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American Indian Wars (1622–1774)

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Main article: American Indian Wars

18th century

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French and Indian War (1754–1763)

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Main article: French and Indian War
  • John Owen (1741–1843) – British Army. Enlisted in 1758. Also fought in the Revolutionary War.[4][5]
  • Jonathan Benjamin (1738–1841) – British Army. Also fought in the Revolutionary War.[6]

American Revolutionary War (1775–1783)

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Main article: American Revolutionary War
A photograph of Daniel Frederick Bakeman (1759–1869). Though not mentioned in the 1864 book The Last Men of the Revolution, he was the last surviving veteran of the American Revolution to have been granted a pension.

American Indian Wars (1775–1924)

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Main article: American Indian Wars

Shays' Rebellion (1786–1787)

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Main article: Shays' Rebellion

Whiskey Rebellion (1791–1794)

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Main article: Whiskey Rebellion

19th century

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War of 1812 (1812–1815)

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Main article: War of 1812
Hiram Cronk (1800–1905), the last surviving veteran of the War of 1812.

Toledo War (1835–1836)

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Main article: Toledo War
  • Lewis W. Pearl (1815–1914) – Michigan State Militia. Later served in the Mexican-American War and the Civil War.[28][29]

Texas Revolution (1835–1836)

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Main article: Texas Revolution

Dorr Rebellion (1841–1842)

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Main article: Dorr Rebellion

Bear Flag Revolt (1846)

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Main article: California Republic § Bear Flag Revolt

Mexican–American War (1846–1848)

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Main article: Mexican–American War
Owen Thomas Edgar (1831–1929), the last surviving U.S. veteran of the Mexican–American War.

Bleeding Kansas (1854–1861)

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Main article: Bleeding Kansas

American Civil War (1861–1865)

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Main articles: American Civil War and Last surviving Confederate veterans

Korean Expedition (1871)

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Main article: United States expedition to Korea

Spanish–American War (1898)

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Main article: Spanish–American War

Second Samoan Civil War (1898–99)

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Main article: Second Samoan Civil War

Banana Wars (1898–1934)

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Main article: Banana Wars

Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901)

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Main article: Boxer Rebellion

Philippine–American War (1899–1902)

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Main article: Philippine–American War

20th century

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Border War (1910–1919)

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Main article: Border War (1910–19)
  • Samuel Goldberg (1900–2006) – U.S. Cavalry.[52]

World War I (1914–1918)

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Main article: World War I
Main article: List of last surviving World War I veterans
Frank Buckles (1901–2011), shown here in this recruitment photo, was the last verified American soldier to have served in World War I.

Pancho Villa Expedition (1916–1917)

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Main article: Pancho Villa Expedition

Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War (1918–1925)

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Main article: Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War

American and other Allied forces were involved in the Polar Bear Expedition which began during World War I and continued into the Russian Civil War

Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)

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Main article: Spanish Civil War

World War II (1939–1945)

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Main article: World War II
See also: List of last surviving veterans of World War II
Richard E. Cole (1915–2019), shown second-from-right in this 1942 photograph, was a World War II veteran and the last living participant of the Doolittle Raid.

Korean War (1950–1953)

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Main article: Korean War

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Conter, an enlisted U.S. Navy sailor, is the last survivor of the sinking of the USS Arizona. The last survivor of the ship's Marine Detachment was Lamar Crawford (1920–2011).[63] The last surviving commissioned officer was Joseph Langdell (1914–2015).[64]
  2. ^ Williams was also the last surviving Marine recipient. The last surviving Army Medal of Honor recipient was Charles Coolidge (1921–2021). Coolidge was also the last surviving recipient who had been awarded the medal during the war.[66]
  3. ^ Freeman was an enlisted soldier. The last surviving commissioned officer of Easy Company was Edward Shames (1922–2021).

References

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  1. ^ "Man For Whom Murphy's Bottom Name Last Survivor of Lord Dunmore's War". Simpson's Leader-Times. 1973. p. 22. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  2. ^ Green, Samuel Abbott (1893). Groton Historical Series: A Collection of Papers Relating to the History of the Town of Groton, Massachusetts. Vol. 3. S. A. Green. p. 367. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  3. ^ Belknap, Jeremy; Farmer, John (1831). The History of New Hampshire. Vol. 1. S. C. Stevens and Ela & Wadleigh. p. 209. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  4. ^ Cotton, Josh (July 22, 2017). "Colonial Intrigue: It's possible that the last surviving veteran of the French & Indian War is buried in Warren". www.timesobserver.com. The Times Observer. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  5. ^ The American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge for the Year 1844. Vol. 15. Gray and Bowen. 1843. p. 328. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  6. ^ Niles' national register, Volume 61. Cambridge: Harvard University. 1841. p. 192.
  7. ^ Heitman, Francis Bernard (1982). Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army During the War of the Revolution, April, 1775, to December, 1783. Genealogical Publishing Com. ISBN 978-0-8063-0176-1.(quoting the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Pensions for 1874: "With the death of Daniel T. Bakeman, of Freedom, Cattaraugus County, N.Y., April 5, 1869, the last of the pensioned soldiers of the Revolution passed away.")
  8. ^ Dalzell, James McCormick; Gray, John (1868). Private Dalzell, his autobiography, poems, and comic war papers, sketch of John Gray, Washington's last soldier, etc. R. Clarke. p. 189.
  9. ^ Franck, Michael S. (1996). Elmwood Endures: History of a Detroit Cemetery. Wayne State University Press. p. 50. ISBN 9780814325919.
  10. ^ Zaniewski, Ann (May 27, 2019). "151 years after death, enslaved Revolutionary War vet honored in Detroit". Detroit Free Press.
  11. ^ Layton, Andrew (June 23, 2019). "African-American Revolutionary War hero's legacy of diversity honored at Detroit gravestone dedication". Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
  12. ^ Pitts, Jonathan M. (June 21, 2019). "Twice denied the freedom he'd fought for, black Revolutionary War hero from Maryland to be honored at last". Baltimore Sun.
  13. ^ Henderson, Frank D.; Rea, John R.; Dailey, Jane Dowd (1929). The official roster of the soldiers of the American revolution buried in the state of Ohio. F. J. Heering Printing Co. p. 307.
  14. ^ Longardner, Caroline Wells (June 27, 2021). "Memorial Grave Marking Service for PATRIOT WILLIAM RICHARDSON". The West Bend News. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  15. ^ "LAST VET OF INDIAN WARS DIES AT AGE 101". Chicago Tribune. June 17, 1973.
  16. ^ Chicago Corral of the Westerners (1965). Westerners brand book, Volumes 22–25. Siedlce. p. 24.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  17. ^ "John Daw". Genealogy Trails. 2006. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  18. ^ Hopkins, John Christian (March 11, 2006). "129 years after Little Big Horn". Gallup Independent. Archived from the original on October 27, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  19. ^ Lawson, Michael L.; Rosier, Paul C. (2007). Little Bighorn: Winning the Battle, Losing the War. Infobase Publishing. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-7910-9347-4.
  20. ^ Oregon Historical Quarterly. Vol. 36 (3 ed.). Oregon Historical Society. 1935. pp. 299–304. JSTOR 20610950.
  21. ^ Pipes, Nellie B. (1939). Oregon Historical Quarterly. Vol. 40 (3 ed.). Oregon Historical Society. pp. 297–301. JSTOR 20611203.
  22. ^ "DEATH OF THE LAST SURVIVOR OF THE BLACK HAWK WAR". Vol. 14. Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society. 1922.
  23. ^ Pierce, Frederick Clifton (1895). Whitney. The descendants of John Whitney, who came from London, England, to Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635. Press of W. B. Conkey Co. p. 153. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  24. ^ "Local Intelligence". Intelligencer Journal. August 23, 1870. p. 2. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  25. ^ Henley, Benjamin James (1911). The art of longevity ... Syracuse: New Warner Co. pp. 205–208.
  26. ^ Evans, Clay Henry (1898). "The Pension Problem". Munsey's Magazine. Vol. 19. Frank A. Munsey & Company. p. 698. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  27. ^ "Society of the War of 1812". The Colonial Magazine. Vol. 1. Bosworth, Hyde & Hyde. 1895. p. 93. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  28. ^ "Oldest Ranking Officer". National Tribune. May 23, 1907. p. 6. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  29. ^ Rosentreter, Roger (2003). Michigan's Early Military Forces. U. of Wayne State P. p. 278. ISBN 0814330819. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  30. ^ Blake, Robert Bruce. "ZUBER, WILLIAM PHYSICK". Texas State Historical Society. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  31. ^ "William P. Zuber to Ben. E McCulloch Describing events at San Jacinto". Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  32. ^ "Last Survivor of Dorr War". The Boston Globe. December 24, 1922. p. 45. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  33. ^ "Oldest Voter in State, 101, And 49er, Is Buried". The Hartford Daily Courant. p. 3. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  34. ^ Bañes, Lanz Christian (2009). "Vallejo author uncovers the story of Bear Flag Revolt hero John Grider". Times-Herald. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  35. ^ "Searching for John Grider, an African American Bear Flag Veteran". Blackpast.org. April 20, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  36. ^ Associated Press (September 1929). "Mexican War's Last Survivor, 98, is Dead". The Dallas Morning News.
  37. ^ "Father Time's Roll Call". The American Legion Monthly. Vol. 7, no. 3. Legion Publishing Corporation. 1929. p. 32.
  38. ^ "Next To Last Mexico War Veteran Dead". Reading Times. June 17, 1929. p. 3. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  39. ^ a b c Hoar, Jay S. (2007). The North's Last Boys in Blue. Vol. 2. Higginson Book Co. ISBN 978-0-7404-5907-8.
  40. ^ Basanik, Michael E. (2003). Cavaliers of the Brush: Quantrill and His Men. Press of the Camp Pope Bookshop. p. 131. ISBN 9781929919048. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  41. ^ Eakin, Joanne Webb Chiles (1993). Branded as rebels: a list of bushwhackers, guerrillas, partisan rangers, confederates and southern sympathizers from Missouri during the war years. J.C. Eakin & D.R. Hale. p. 48. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  42. ^ The Banner (1956). "Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War: Albert Woolson". Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Archived from the original on August 13, 2004. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  43. ^ "James A. Hard – Obituary". Binghamton Press, Associated Press. 1953. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  44. ^ Hoar, Jay S. (2010). The South's Last Boys in Gray. Vol. 3. Higginson Book Co. ISBN 978-0-7404-6751-6.
  45. ^ a b c d Kuchera, Roger. "The Last Naval Veterans of the War of the Rebellion". Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  46. ^ "JASPER GARRISON, 107, OLDEST U.S. WAR VETERAN". Newspaper. The Chicago Tribune. June 6, 1987. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  47. ^ de Quesada, Alejandro (2013). Roosevelt's Rough Riders. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 9, 43. ISBN 9781846039041. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  48. ^ Jones, V. C. (1969). "Jesse D. Langdon: Last of the Rough Riders". American Heritage. Vol. 20, no. 5. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  49. ^ a b "Nathan E. Cook, 106; America's Oldest Known War Veteran". Los Angeles Times. September 12, 1992. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  50. ^ "Also Served in U.S. Forces in Boxer Rebellion : Spanish-American War Vet Dies at 109". Newspaper. Los Angeles Times. December 8, 1985. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  51. ^ "Nathan E. Cook, 106;America's Oldest Known War Veteran". Los Angeles Times. September 12, 1992. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  52. ^ Everett, Will (April 6, 2007). "World War I veteran". PRI's THE WORLD. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  53. ^ Courson, Paul (February 28, 2011). "Last living U.S. World War I veteran dies". CNN. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  54. ^ Dustin, April (March 9, 2007). "America's Last Known WWI Combat Veteran Laid to Rest". U.S. Army. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  55. ^ Kessinger, Mike (April 6, 2017). "Wagner was never one to shy away from talking about his WWI experience". The Hays Daily News. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  56. ^ Gordon, Dennis (2000). The Lafayette Flying Corps: The American Volunteers in the French Air Service in World War One. Schiffer Military History. p. 169. ISBN 9780764311086.
  57. ^ Corley, Melissa (1998). "Veterans to honor Buffalo Soldier Man, 103, is last survivor of regiment of black troopers". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  58. ^ Rush, Linda (February 3, 2005). "STATE'S 'LAST' WORLD WAR I VETERAN DIES: WARREN V. HILEMAN DIED SUNDAY IN ANNA AT 103". The Southern: Illinoisan. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  59. ^ Kramer, Andrew (August 14, 2001). "Centarian Is Last Veteran of Only U.S.-Russia War". The St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  60. ^ "Del Berg Interviewed by Friends and Neighbors". The Volunteer. December 29, 2014.
  61. ^ "Death Notices for March 1, 2016". The Union Democrat. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
  62. ^ Olson, Wyatt (April 22, 2023). "One USS Arizona attack survivor remains following death of Ken Potts, 102". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  63. ^ "Marine survivor of USS Arizona dies at 91". Associated Press. December 28, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2021 – via Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
  64. ^ "Joe Langdell dies at 100; survived Pearl Harbor attack on the Arizona". Los Angeles Times. February 12, 2015.
  65. ^ Scott, Andrea (June 29, 2022). "Last surviving WW2 Medal of Honor recipient Woody Williams dies at 98". Marine Corps Times. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  66. ^ Goldstein, Richard (April 7, 2021). "Charles Coolidge, Oldest Medal of Honor Recipient, Dies at 99". New York Times. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  67. ^ Lampkin, Eric (July 4, 2022). "Last member of "Band of Brothers" has died". WCBI. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  68. ^ "Last of the legendary World War II Flying Tigers dies". February 12, 2020.
  69. ^ "Death of last remaining Flying Tiger pilot stirs fond memories". China Daily.
  70. ^ "Steve Pisanos Dies at 96: Famed Decorated WWII Fighter Pilot". Times of San Diego. June 10, 2016.
  71. ^ "Lemuel Rodney Custis". January 19, 2021.
  72. ^ Smith, Harrison (November 30, 2022). "Hiroshi Miyamura, Medal of Honor recipient from Korean War, dies at 97". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  73. ^ Allenback, Al (May 27, 2021). "In memoriam: 'Nickel on the grass' to Lt. General Charles 'Chick' Cleveland". Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved October 6, 2022.

Further reading

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