Early Bickham Christian (1895-1975) was born in Mooringsport and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in architecture in 1917. While serving in WWI, he was awarded the French medal Croix de Guerre for "conspicuous bravery during a German air raid on the American Salient at St. Mihiel." After the war, he worked in the U.S. State Department where he served as vice-consul in Dublin and Stockholm.
 |
| Early B. Christian (Passport Photo 1922) |
Early was the great-grandson of James Christian (1795-1869), and grandson of James Marshall Christian (1832-1864), War of 1812 and Civil War veterans respectively listed below. His parents were Early Clayton (1858-1903) and Caroline Bickham (1867-1943) Christian.
He began his WWI service as an ambulance driver (shown below), and later entered the Air Force..
This newspaper article describes his military service including a remarkable incident in which he and pilot comrade were shot down by German planes, resulting in the loss of a leg.
Awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government.
Appointed to U.S. diplomatic mission to Ireland:
%2B(EBC%2Bappointed%2Bto%2BIreland).jpg)
Profiled in a 1930 State Department publication.
Not much is known about his later life. The 1940 census shows him living with his mother in Shreveport. He was very active in investigating his family history, evidenced by advertisements placed in numerous newspapers nationwide soliciting information about relatives. He was also instrumental in creating a history of the Mount Zion Cemetery in Longwood, LA; where members of his family and several notable former Mooringsport residents are buried, which is linked here.
He died in 1975 and is buried in Forest Park East Cemetery, Shreveport, LA.
No comments:
Post a Comment