Franklin D'Olier
| Franklin D'Olier | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 28, 1877 Burlington, New Jersey |
| Died | December 10, 1953 (aged 76) Morristown, New Jersey |
| Resting place |
St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Burlington, New Jersey 40°04′37.8″N 74°51′42.8″W / 40.077167°N 74.861889°W |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Princeton University |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Title | National Commander of The American Legion |
| Term | 1919 – 1920 |
| Predecessor | Henry D. Lindsley (as Chairman of The American Legion) |
| Successor | Frederic W. Galbraith, Jr. |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Kitchen D'Olier (m. 1903–50) |
| Relatives |
|
| Awards |
 Medal for Merit
|
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Rank |
 Lieutenant Colonel
|
| Commands held | American Salvage Depot at Saint Pierre des Corps |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | |
Franklin D'Olier (April 28, 1877 – December 10, 1953) was an American businessman who served as the first National Commander of The American Legion from 1919 to 1920.
Franklin D'Olier was born April 28, 1877, in Burlington, New Jersey, where he attended local school and prepared for Princeton University. He was graduated from Princeton in 1898, and immediately entered business with his father of William D'Olier & Company, commission merchants in cotton and cotton yarns, in Philadelphia. Upon his father's retirement from business, the firm name was changed to Franklin D'Olier & Company
D'Olier entered the military service of the United States in April, 1917, as a captain in the Quartermaster Corps. After a few weeks' service at the Philadelphia depot and several months at Boston, he was ordred to France in August, 1917. Owing to the great scarcity of tonnage at that time and the necessity for salvaging material on a large scale, D'Olier was assigned to the newly organized salvage service, and in January, 1918, took command of the first salvage depot that was operated by the American Army.
Within six months the work had grown so rapidly that the personnel increased from 12 to 6,000 and this depot was salvaging for about 750,000 men and was larger than any depot operated by either the British or French armies. This depot was at Saint Pierre des Corps, near Tours, France, the headquarters of the Service of Supply.
In July, 1918, Captain D'Olier was ordered to Lyon, France, to organize the second large depot, which at the time of the armistice had a capacity of taking care of salvaging for upward of a million and a half men. He was promoted to the rank of major and then lieutenant colonel and assigned to the General Staff, and after two years' service in the army, twenty months of which was in the A. E. F., was discharged from the service in April, 1919.
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