Roll of Honor
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James Sanders O'Neale, Jr.
- School: Columbia College
- Class Year: 1914
- War: World War I
- Date of Death: August 25, 1918
First Lieutenant James Saunders O'Neale Jr., Company G, 306th Infantry, 77th Division, U.S. Army, died October 2nd, 1918, of wounds suffered in action August 27th, having spent 30 hours in No Man's Land before he was rescued..Although he had the good fortune of having been attended to by a French surgeon to whom he was closely related, First Lieutenant O'Neale still could not be saved. He is buried at the Suresnes American Cemetery just outside Paris. While at Columbia, First Lieutenant O'Neale was the captain of the varsity baseball team and a citywide tennis champion. He also served on the editorial board of the Columbia Spectator and the Jester. Following graduation, he was hired as a sports writer for the Tribune where he worked until war broke out. He then entered the Officers Training Camp at Plattsburgh where he received the commission of First Lieutenant U.S. Cavalry. He was married in March 2018 to Elizabeth V. Beresford, and died October 2nd that same year. First Lieutenant O'Neale was a nephew of the Progressive politician William Gibbs McAdoo, who served as Secretary of the Treasury under Wilson and was later a Senator from California, having run for president several times unsuccessfully.
Is any of our information incorrect? You can submit corrections, additional photos, and/or tributes to uarchives@columbia.edu.