34th Quartermaster General

George Anthony Horkan was born July 1, 1894, in Augusta, Georgia and died November 2, 1974. He graduated from Georgetown University, Washington, DC with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1915, and served as battalion Sergeant Major, 1st Infantry, Georgia National Guard, from July to October 1916. He was appointed a Second Lieutenant, Infantry Reserve, August 15, 1917, and on October 26, 1917 was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, Infantry in the Regular Army.

General Horkan served with the 55th Infantry at various stations in the United States and in September, 1918, sailed with his regiment to France where he participated in the occupation of the Puyenelle Sector and in the Second Army Offensive. Upon return to the United States in June, 1919, he was stationed with the 55th at Camp Funston, Kansas, as regimental supply officer.

In September, 1920, General Horkan entered the Motor Transportation School, Camp Holabird, Maryland. Following graduation he served as Assistant Quartermaster of the Third Corps Area, Baltimore, Maryland, at Fort Howard. He became officer in charge of transportation for the Third Corps Area Baltimore, Maryland, in July, 1922.

In January 1924, he entered the, Babson Institute, Babson Park, Massachusetts, and following his graduation in March, 1925, was assigned to duty in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War and placed in charge of the Statistical Section.

In October 1928, General Horkan was sent to France in charge of construction of certain monuments being erected by the American Battle Monuments Commission. In July 1929 he was stationed at Paris in direct charge of the Monument at Montfaucan, France. In August, 1931, he returned to the United States to enter the Army Industrial College. Following graduation in June 1932, he was assigned to the New Orleans Quartermaster Depot as Assistant Procurement and Planning Officer.

In July 1934, he was assigned to duty in the office of the Quartermaster General, Procurement Planning Sub-Section, War Procurement Section, Supply Division. In May 1937, he became Acting Chief of the War Procurement Section, War Plans and Training Branch. In July, 1937, he entered Quartermaster School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and graduated in June, 1938. A month later he became director of the Department of Mobilization, at the Quartermaster School in Philadelphia.

From July 1941 to June 30, 1942, General Horkan was an instructor and Executive officer at the Quartermaster School, Philadelphia, and the Quartermaster School, Camp Lee, Virginia. In May, 1943, he was named Commandant of the Quartermaster School at Camp Lee, and in February 1944, became Commanding General, Post Headquarters, Camp Lee. It was under his direction that the Quartermaster School expanded to the height of its wartime activity, eventually graduating more than 1,000 officer candidates monthly, and schooling thousands more officers and enlisted personnel in specialized and advanced courses. For his wartime service to the Quartermaster School and Camp Lee, General Horkan was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

In February, 1946, he was appointed Director of the Memorial Division Office of the Quartermaster General. General Horkan in August, 1948, was appointed Chief Quartermaster of the European Command. He returned to the United States in August 1951, and served as thirty-fourth Quartermaster General of the Army from September 1951 until his retirement in January 1954.

General Horkan was a veteran of both World Wars and served as Quartermaster General during most of the Korean Conflict. He received many awards during his 37 years of service, including:

The Distinguished Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (with one Oak Leaf Cluster), Korean Taegak Distinguished Military Service Medal. In addition he was awarded the Army's Medal for Humane Action for participation in the Berlin Airlift and a special Distinguished Service Award by Georgetown University. He was initiated into the National Society of Pershing Rifles and also into the National Society of the Scabbard and Blade at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia.

General Horkan died in November 1974.

General Horkan was inducted into the Quartermaster Hall of Fame in 1991.