William Wallace Smith Bliss
.jpg)
William Wallace Smith Bliss (born August 17, 1815 in Todd County , Kentucky , † August 5, 1853 in Pascagoula , Mississippi ) was an American officer and lieutenant colonel in the US Army .
Life
William Bliss was the son of Captain John Bliss and his wife Olive Hall Simonds. He was trained at West Point at the United States Military Academy and made his final exam there in 1833. During the Mexican War 1846-1848 he was adjutant general to Major General Zachary Taylor . He married his youngest daughter Betty. When Taylor became President of the United States in 1849 , Bliss was its private secretary . His skills and personality were valued by MPs from all parties. His wife, known as "Miss Betty," was the actual first lady in the White House at the age of 22 .
In 1850 the president died suddenly. Bliss accompanied the widow to Pascagoula, Mississippi, where she also died in 1852. Colonel Bliss got the post of military inspector in the US Army. Bliss died of yellow fever on August 5, 1853 in Pascagoula on a visit to disease-ridden New Orleans . A 20-foot-high monument made of Italian marble was erected in the Girod Street cemetery in New Orleans to commemorate Bliss. In 1955 the monument was moved to Fort Bliss in El Paso . The fort was named after him in honor of Colonel Bliss.
Web links
- William Wallace Smith Bliss in the database of Find a Grave (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bliss, William Wallace Smith |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American officer in the US Army |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 17th August 1815 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Todd County , Kentucky |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 5, 1853 |
| Place of death | Pascagoula , Mississippi |