Henry Jervey

Early life and education Jervey was born in Dublin, Virginia, June 5, 1866, and was the oldest of the six sons of Dr. Henry Dickson Jervey, originally of Charleston, South Carolina, and Helen Louise Wesson Jervey of Summit Plantation, North Carolina. from South Carolina in 1884, graduating first in the class of 1888.

Military career Three years after graduating from USMA, Jervey graduated from the Army Engineering School of Application. Following that, he worked in various civil engineering roles with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, improving the Mississippi River from 1898 to 1899, and managing rivers and harbors on the west coast of Florida from 1899 to 1900. From 1901 to 1903, Jervey served in the Philippines during the Philippine–American War in an undocumented capacity. Afterwards, he was an instructor at USMA from 1903 to 1905 In 1910, he was assigned to river duty in Cincinnati. In February 1912, Jervey was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He returned to instruction in 1915, serving as a student, instructor and director at the Army War College until 1917.

In May 1917, after the American entry into World War I, Jervey was promoted to colonel and given command of the 6th Regiment of Engineers and the Engineer Officers' Training Camp at American University and Washington Barracks. In August 1917, he was promoted to brigadier general and assigned to the 66th Field Artillery Brigade, a unit in the 41st Division. Shortly after, Jervey became acting commander of the entire division from September 19, 1917, to December 12, 1917. In December 1917, he was moved to the War Department General Staff, This led to his promotion to major general in October 1918.

Jervey's major general rank was restored by an Act of Congress in June 1930. Wesson Jervey would go on to graduate the United States Military Academy in 1919 and serve in the United States Army as a colonel in the Signal Corps. Henry's second wife, whom he married on March 19, 1930,

After Jervey's death, General Peyton C. March, chief of staff, U.S. Army during the greater part of the first World War, wrote:—

"Henry Jervey was not only my classmate, but in later years my warm personal friend. When I returned from France in 1918 to become Chief of Staff of the Army, I found him serving on the General Staff. I made many changes in personnel, but Jervey stayed and became more and more valuable. As Chief of Operations, he had work of the most important character to do, and in spite of some physical weakness, he never missed a day,—and the days lasted until 12 o'clock at night, every day including Sunday. He had an unusually good mind, a wonderful devotion to duty, and gave all he had, every day, all day. My classmate friendship warmed into a rare affection for one of the finest characters as well as one of the ablest officers, with whom it was my good fortune to serve. He was so modest he never received the public notice his work deserved, and he passed on respected by all who knew him." (sig.) Peyton C. March, General.