August Adolph Gennerich

August Adolph Gennerich (February 10, 1887 – December 1, 1936) was the bodyguard of Franklin Roosevelt.[1][2]

Biography

He was born on February 10, 1887 in Yorkville, Manhattan.

In 1909 he started work with the New York City Police. He was cited three times for bravery, once for capturing bandits who "had peppered him for a mile and a half" with a machine gun until their car overturned. He later became a member of the bomb squad. In 1929 he was assigned as a bodyguard whenever New York's Governor was in the city. He was then assigned to Albany with the Governor.[3]

In the winter of 1933 when the Roosevelts moved to Washington, D.C., he was given a 60-day leave of absence so that he could complete his 25 years on the force, and retire on a $1,500-a-year pension. This allowed him to join the United States Secret Service.[3]

He died of a heart attack on December 1, 1936 in Buenos Aires.[3][4]

Legacy

In the book Home Country, Ernie Pyle writes of Mr. Gennerich and FDR in Rapid City, South Dakota.

References

  1. ↑ "Personal Loss". Time (magazine). December 14, 1936. Retrieved 2007-06-07. A few moments later she heard Franklin Roosevelt, speaking from Buenos Aires, break the news that his personal bodyguard, Gus Gennerich, had dropped dead of heart disease.
  2. ↑ Time magazine lists his birth year as 1886, but he listed his own birth day as February 10, 1887 when he registered for the draft in World War I
  3. 1 2 3 "President's Guard Dies in Restaurant. Body of Gus Gennerich Will Be Taken to Washington on the Cruiser Indianapolis. Rites to be held today. Roosevelt Cancels as Many of His Engagements as Possible and Arranges for Funeral.". New York Times. December 2, 1936. Retrieved 2007-02-14. President Roosevelt's activities today were overshadowed by the shock of the sudden death late last night of his personal bodyguard, comrade and friend, August Adolph Gennerich. He canceled all possible engagements for the day and arranged a funeral service at the embassy for tomorrow.
  4. ↑ "August "Gus" Adolph Gennerich". Officer Down Memorial Page. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
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