Homer J. Henney Papers

Homer Jay Henney was born to Eddy Forest and Elizabeth Lizzie (Denton) Henney in Horton, Kansas on October 22, 1896. He was one of eight children, including Helene Angela (1887-1970), Harrison Morton (1888-1889), Forest Jesse (1890-1979), Frank LeRoy (1891-1938), Esther Matilda (Henney) Rousey (1893-1968), Harold William (1898-1979), and Florence Anna (Henney) Carter (1901-1991).

Homer Henney enlisted in the Kansas National Guard on March 24, 1914 and was assigned to Company B of the 1st Kansas Infantry stationed at Horton. He was honorably discharged on August 4, 1917 in order to be assigned to federal service. The 1st Kansas Infantry arrived in Fort Sill, Oklahoma and was consolidated with the 2nd Kansas Infantry to form the 137th Infantry of the 35th Division on October 1, 1917. The 137th arrived in Le Havre, France on May 9, 1918 and was assigned to join British units near the Somme. They were stationed at Hadol (June 1918), Oderen (June 1918) and La Bresses and Gornimont (July 1918) before being assigned to the front at Le Collet in August of 1917. They were relieved by the 6th Division on September 4, 1918 and served as reserve troops for the St. Mihiel offensive before travelling through Nancy to take part in the Meuse-Argonne offensive, which began on September 26th. The 35th Division was relieved by the 1st Division on October 1 and travelled to Camp Bouee in the Somme-Dieue sector to relieve French troops on October 14. The 35th left Camp Bouee on November 6 and was returning to the Meuse area when the armistice was declared on November 11, 1918. Homer Henney was promoted twice during the war, first to 2nd Lieutenant on April 1, 1918 and then to 1st Lieutenant on October 25, 1918.

After the war ended, Henney remained in France, where he studied at University of Montpellier. He returned to the United States in June of 1919 and was honorably discharged in August of the same year. Henney continued his education at the Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, where he earned his B.A. in 1921. He later earned an M.A. in Agriculture, taught Agricultural Economics at the Kansas State Agricultural College, and served as Dean of the Division of Agriculture and Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station at the Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Colorado State University) in Fort Collins. During World War II, Henney served as the Deputy Director of Agriculture in Berlin and was among the first people to enter the bunker where Hitler committed suicide in 1945. While in the bunker, Henney discovered and removed a copy of Die Sagan: Das Leben der Herzogin Wilhelmine von Sagan Prinzessin von Kurland by Clemens Brühl from under Hitler's bunk.

Henney moved to Arizona in 1960, where he served as an economist statistician for the State. Henney died in Phoenix on January 24, 1979 and was survived by his wife, Grayce Helen (Cole) Henney (1900-1987), and his son, Edward N. Henney (1925-).