Harry Chamberlin

Early life Harry D. Chamberlin was born in Elgin, Illinois on May 19, 1887, the son of Cora L. (Orth) Chamberlin and Dwight A. Chamberlin, a longtime member of the Kane County Board of Supervisors. He attended the schools of Elgin and graduated from Elgin High School in 1905. From 1905 to 1906, Chamberlin was a student at the Elgin Academy.

Chamberlin was appointed to the United States Military Academy in 1906. While at West Point, Chamberlin was a member of the track and boxing teams, played halfback on the football team, and was his class representative to the student athletic council. A highlight of Chamberlin's football career was his pickup of a fumbled Navy punt and 92 yard return during the 1908 Army-Navy game, which set up his three-yard run for the touchdown that enabled Army's 6–4 victory.

In 1910, Chamberlin graduated and was ranked 29th of 83. In July, he was appointed adjutant of the 161st Infantry Brigade, a unit of the 81st Division. During his return to the United States, Chamberlin spent time in England during 1924 as an observer at the Army School of Equitation, Weedon. Chamberlin finished 21st in the event competition and 18th individually in the jumping competition. Chamberlin finished second in the individual jumping event and won the silver medal. In November 1934, Chamberlin was promoted to lieutenant colonel. While serving in the Pacific theater, Chamberlin was taken ill and returned to California.

Family In 1912, Chamberlin married Sally Garlington, the daughter of Ernest Albert Garlington. They divorced in 1933, and later that year Chamberlin married Helen Elena Bradman, the daughter of United States Marine Corps Brigadier General Frederic L. Bradman. With his second wife, Chamberlin was the father of two children, Lydia and Frederika. Chamberlin's sister Marie E. Chamberlin was the wife of Army officer John Gray Thornell, who was killed while piloting the dirigible Roma in 1922 when it crashed in Norfolk, Virginia.

Legacy Fort Ord's Chamberlin Library, which was opened in 1970, is named for Harry Chamberlin and continues to serve as the library of the Monterey Peninsula's military community. Chamberlin was inducted into the United States Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1990. In 2006, he was inducted into the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame.