William Francis Heavey was born at Fort McPherson, Georgia, on 29 January 1896,[1] the eldest of three sons son of a United States Army officer, John W. Heavey, and his wife Julia (née Baggett).[2] Heavey grew up on various Army posts, and graduated from Cheyenne High School in 1912.[3] He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point on 14 June 1913.[4] His father, who became a brigadier general, was a West Point graduate, of the class of 1891,[5] and his younger brothers Thomas J. Heavey and Wade H. Heavey would become graduates too, eventually rising to the rank of colonel.[2] At West Point he was captain of the polo team, and a Cadet Captain.[3] He met Julia Melcher, a New York stage actress, on a blind date at the Army–Navy Game. They were married in 1918.[6]
With the war over, Heavy was reduced in rank to captain on 16 February 1920, and posted to West Point as an instructor in August. He entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on 7 June 1921, and graduated on 6 June 1922 with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. He was Assistant District Engineer at Louisville, Kentucky from 1 September 1922 to 14 August 1924, and then returned to Fort Humphreys as an instructor in tactics at the U.S. Army Engineer School. While there he graduated from the Company Officers' Course in 1926. He commanded the 7th Engineer Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia, for two years from 7 August 1928, and then the 2nd Battalion, 11th Engineer Regiment at Corozal, in the Panama Canal Zone until 11 October 1930.[7]
Returning to the United States on 31 December 1931, Heavey was posted to Washington, D.C., for duty with the Construction Section in the Office of the Chief of Engineers. On 31 March 1932, he became Assistant Division Engineer of the Great Lakes Division, based in Cleveland, Ohio. He was promoted to major again on 31 May 1932. He returned to Washington for duty with the Personnel Section in the Office of the Chief of Engineers from 31 July 1935 to 30 June 1937, and attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College from 14 August 1937 to 10 June 1938, followed by the Field Officers' course at Fort Belvoir from 1 July to 6 August 1938. He then returned to Fort Benning as commander of the 1st Battalion, 5th Engineer Regiment.[5]
After the war, the 2nd Engineer Special Brigade participated in the Occupation of Japan from September to December 1945, then returned to the United States. Heavey's appointment as brigadier general in the Army of the United States was terminated on 5 March 1946, and he reverted to his substantive rank of colonel. He became District Engineer of the New York District. On 31 January 1948, he was retired at his own request, and was promoted to brigadier general on the Retired List on 16 August 1948.[8] He published a book about the 2nd Engineer Special Brigade's experiences, titled Down Ramp! The Story of the Army Amphibian Engineers in 1947.[9]
Heavey became a consulting engineer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He drew up a master plan for the modernization of the wharves and piers, and participated in the design of the new New York International Airport. He also served as a consulting engineer for the Hoover Commission. In June 1948 he became the General Manager of the Port of Houston. He was president of its World Trade Association, president of the Texas Ports Association, and vice president of the American Association of Port Authorities. He died at his home in Washington, D.C., on 11 March 1974. He was survived by his wife, Julia Melcher Heavey, who died in 1999, and two sons, William F. Heavey Jr., and John Melcher Healey.[3][6] His papers are in Syracuse University in New York.[9]
Ancell, R. Manning; Miller, Christine (1996). The Biographical Dictionary of World War II Generals and Flag Officers: The US Armed Forces. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN0-313-29546-8. OCLC33862161.
