Henry Root Hill

Henry Root Hill (June 20, 1876 – October 16, 1918) was a United States Army officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served in World War I and was killed in the conflict.

Early life Hill was born in Quincy, Illinois, on June 20, 1876, a son of Frederick T. Hill and Cecelia (Root) Hill. He was educated in the public schools of Quincy and worked at F. T. Hill Co., his father's furniture and carpeting dealership. After his father died in 1905, Hill succeeded him as the owner and manager. He was promoted lieutenant colonel in 1908 as second-in-command of the 5th Regiment. In late 1914, he was promoted to brigadier general as commander of the Illinois National Guard's 2nd Brigade. The most common version of the story is that the commander of the 33rd Division, George Bell Jr., relieved Hill after soldiers from his brigade were observed not wearing their steel helmets, a violation of Bell's orders. In 1921, his remains were returned to the United States and he was buried at Woodland Cemetery in Quincy, Illinois. In 1930, Congress passed legislation permitting World War I general officers to retire at the highest rank they had held, and Hill's rank of brigadier general was posthumously restored.

Legacy Hill never married and had no children. After his death his mother had a fountain in Quincy dedicated to his memory. The Henry Root Hill Memorial Hospital at the Illinois Soldiers and Sailors Home in Quincy was named for him, as was Quincy's Henry R. Hill American Legion post (now the Hill-Emery post).