529208
Omar N. Bradley
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Omar Nelson Bradley, 1893-1981. General of the Army; first permanent chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 8" x 10" formal black-and-white portrait photograph inscribed and signed, To Miss Rosemary E. Wright / Omar N. Bradley.
This photograph is part of a collection assembled by Rosemary E. Wright (1890-1969), who spent some 35 years working for the Army, ultimately as Chief of the Army General Staff Assignment Section, before she retired in November 1953. Miss Wright handled all of the administrative work relating to officers assigned to the General Staff. She knew all of them—well enough to call Dwight D. Eisenhower “Ike,” George S. Patton, Jr., “Georgie,” and Jonathan Wainwright “Skinny." During her time with the Army, she assembled a large collection of signed photographs and letters from Army generals and others. She wrote of her years with the Army in The Generals Call Me “Mom,” which appeared in the March 15, 1952, edition of Collier's magazine.
Bradley, a graduate of West Point, assumed command of the 2nd Corps in 1943, midway through World War II. He commanded forces in North Africa, contributing to the fall of Tunisia, and led the invasion of Sicily later that year. He helped to plan the D-Day invasion, during which he led the 1st Army, which landed at Utah and Omaha beaches in Normandy. His forces liberated Paris in August 1944. Later he commanded the 12th Army Group, the largest U.S. Army group ever assembled, and his forces continued to fight in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, and Czechoslovakia until V-E Day, May 8, 1945.
After World War II, Bradley was Administrator of Veterans' Affairs before being appointed Army Chief of Staff in 1948. He served four years, 1949-1953, as the first permanent chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was promoted to the five-star rank of General of the Army in 1950 and retired in 1953.
Bradley was the last survivor among only five Army generals who held five-star rank. The others were George C. Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Henry H. Arnold (redesignated General of the Air Force in 1949). When Bradley died in 1981, the rank was consigned to history.
Bradley has inscribed and signed this photo in black fountain pen in the lower margin. The photo has a noticeable horizontal crease across Bradley's chest, well removed from the inscription and signature. It also has stains in the upper right and left corners and mounting remnants on the back. Overall it is in very good condition, and the inscription and signature are very fine.
Unframed.
This item is sold.
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