John William Thomason, Jr.

Huntsville native John William Thomason Jr. was born on February 28, 1893, as the eldest of nine children of Dr. John Williams and Sue Hayes (Goree) Thomason. Graduating from Huntsville High School in 1909, he taught in area schools for seven years between attendance at several universities, including the Art Students League in New York. After working as a reporter for the Houston Chronicle, Thomason was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1917, after the United States' entry into the First World War. He saw action at some of the most intense campaigns of the war, including St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne. For his actions at the Battle of Soissons in July 1918, he was awarded the Navy Cross, the nation's second-highest decoration for valor. Thomason remained a career Marine after the war, balancing shipboard duty and postings around the world with a simultaneous career as an acclaimed writer and artist. Retaining a passion for drawing from childhood, Thomason was a prolific sketcher and writer, completing eleven illustrated books and publishing more than sixty articles for the premier magazines of the era. A series of popular articles in Scribner's Magazine beginning in 1925 evolved into his most famous work, Fix Bayonets! (1926), which brought instant success and national fame. Other works ranged from U.S. Civil War topics to reflections from his experiences around the world. After serving in a series of World War II assignments, Thomason died in San Diego, California, on March 12, 1944, leaving behind a wife and son. The naval destroyer USS John W. Thomason (DD-760), launched in 1944, was named in his honor. (2017)