Eli Lamar Whiteley (1913-1986) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

Dr. Eli Lamar Whiteley

Born 10 Dec 1913 in Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas

Ancestors

Son of Eli Whiteley and Ruth (Hunt) Whiteley

Brother of Thadeus Elmo Whiteley

Husband of Anna Morris (Saunders) Whiteley — married 11 Sep 1949 in Sulphur Springs, Rusk, Texas, United States

Father of Eli Lamar Whiteley Jr

Died 2 Dec 1986 at age 72 in College Station, Texas

Problems/Questions

Profile last modified 8 Nov 2023 | Created 23 Jun 2016

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Biography

Eli Whiteley was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Dr. Eli Lamar Whiteley (1913-1986)

World War II, United States Army, Medal of Honor recipient

Eli Whiteley is Notable.

Born near Liberty Hill

For biography:

Captain Lamar Whiteley, Class of 1941, Texas A&M University on myaggienation.com

Dr. Whiteley on Together We Served

The second son of farmers Eli Whiteley and Ruth (Hunt) Whiteley^[1]

Eli graduated from Georgetown High School on May 21, 1932.

On August 30, 1941, at the age of 27, he graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. degree in agriculture.

The future Dr. Whiteley was on his way to graduate school in Raleigh, North Carolina when the "Day of Infamy" occurred. He immediately registered with the Selective Service and was inducted into the service of the United States Army.

Military

Dr. Eli Whiteley was Wounded in Action during World War II.

Whitley was drafted into the United States Army and assigned to basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas.

Attended non-commissioned officer's school and selected for Infantry Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia.

November 19, 1944, he was assigned as a rifle-platoon leader in Company L, Fifteenth Infantry Regiment, Third Infantry Division in France

Eli Whiteley was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor citation

While leading his platoon on December 27, 1944, in savage house-to-house fighting through the fortress town of Sigolsheim, France, he attacked a building through a street swept by withering mortar and automatic weapons fire. He was hit and severely wounded in the arm and shoulder; but he charged into the house alone and killed its 2 defenders. Hurling smoke and fragmentation grenades before him, he reached the next house and stormed inside, killing 2 and capturing 11 of the enemy. He continued leading his platoon in the extremely dangerous task of clearing hostile troops from strong points along the street until he reached a building held by fanatical Nazi troops. Although suffering from wounds which had rendered his left arm useless, he advanced on this strongly defended house, and after blasting out a wall with bazooka fire, charged through a hail of bullets. Wedging his submachinegun under his uninjured arm, he rushed into the house through the hole torn by his rockets, killed 5 of the enemy and forced the remaining 12 to surrender. As he emerged to continue his fearless attack, he was again hit and critically wounded. In agony and with 1 eye pierced by a shell fragment, he shouted for his men to follow him to the next house. He was determined to stay in the fighting, and remained at the head of his platoon until forcibly evacuated. By his disregard for personal safety, his aggressiveness while suffering from severe wounds, his determined leadership and superb courage, 1st Lt. Whiteley killed 9 Germans, captured 23 more and spearheaded an attack which cracked the core of enemy resistance in a vital area.^[2]^[3]

Personal Life

Dr. Whiteley pursued a graduate degree at North Carolina State in Raleigh, North Carolina after the War, completing his degree in 1948. In 1949, he married Anna Morris of Laurenburg, North Carolina; they had two sons and three daughters. Whiteley returned to Texas A&M University, where he received a doctorate in soil physics.

He taught at Texas A&M while researching plants, including important work with the kenaf plant, and soil management. Whiteley was eventually named a Professor Emeritus of the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. ^[4]

He died on December 2, 1986, in College Station and is buried in College Station City Cemetery. Texas A&M named the Eli Whiteley Memorial Medal of Honor Park on its grounds in his honor.^[5]

Memberships

Professor Whiteley had memberships in the American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America, Sigma Xi,

Family

Parents: Eli Whiteley (1888 - 1958) and Ruth Hunt Whiteley (1893 - 1958)

Spouse: Anna Morris Whiteley (1926 - 1994); Children: Eli Lamar Whiteley (1950 - 1970)

Sources

Sponsored Search by Ancestry.com

DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Eli by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Eli:

~0.78% ~3.12% G (Farris) Antebi : AncestryDNA, Ancestry member pulai57
~0.78% William Seward : Family Tree DNA Family Finder, GEDmatch T047694 [compare], FTDNA kit #867321

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.

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Featured National Park champion connections: Eli is 15 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 19 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 16 degrees from George Catlin, 13 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 23 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 15 degrees from George Grinnell, 26 degrees from Anton Kröller, 18 degrees from Stephen Mather, 25 degrees from Kara McKean, 13 degrees from John Muir, 18 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 25 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.

Eli Lamar Whiteley (1913 - 1986)