Francis P. Duffy
Major, U.S. Army Chaplain

Francis P. Duffy was born on 2 May 1871.

Duffy was ordained in 1896. He attended the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and was then appointed Professor of Psychology and Ethics at the St. Joseph's Seminary in New York.

Duffy served briefly as an Army Chaplain during the Spanish-American War, where he was stationed at Montauk Point, Long Island. In 1914 he was appointed Chaplain of the 69th Infantry Regiment of the New York National Guard, the Famous "Fighting 69th" which served with the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. It was called up briefly during the Spanish-American War, and also in 1916, when it served during the Mexican border conflict.

When the U.S. entered World War I, the Regiment was renamed the 165th Infantry and became part of the 42nd "Rainbow" Division, which was comprised of National Guard Units. Major Chaplain Duffy, Senior Chaplain of the 42nd Division, accompanied the 42nd to Europe where it saw action in some of the bloodiest battles of the war, including Lorraine, Champagne, Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, and St. Mihiel Meuse-Argonne.

Always near the heaviest fighting, exposing himself to constant danger as he moved from unit to unit, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross and the Distinguished Service Medal among others. His character was played by Pat O'Brien in the 1940 Warner Brothers Movie, "The Fighting 69th."

Death and Burial

Major Francis P. Duffy died on 26 June 1932. He is buried at Saint Raymond's Cemetery in New Bronx, NY.