William Wallace Smith Bliss (August 17, 1815 – August 5, 1853) was a United States Armyofficer and mathematics professor. A gifted mathematician, he taught at West Point and also served as a line officer.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2013)
Quick Facts Private Secretary to the President, President ...
Having become interested in the various Native American tribes, Bliss learned a number of their languages and studied their cultures. He was a member of the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries of Copenhagen, Denmark, and an Honorary Member of the American Ethnological Society. Gifted at languages, he was able to read thirteen and could speak a number of those fluently.
At the age of 14, Bliss entered the United States Military Academy on September 1, 1829. He showed very great skills in mathematics while a student. He graduated July 1, 1833 (age 17) and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 4th Infantry Regiment. It was his choice to serve in the infantry.
He served in the Fort Mitchell army garrison in Alabama from 1833 to 1834. During 1835 he was involved in operations against the Cherokee during Indian Removal, which moved most of them to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River.
In 1845, Bliss took part in the United States military occupation of the Republic of Texas, prior to its annexation. Between April 1846 and November 1847, he took part in the Mexican War, including fighting in the battles of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma and Buena Vista. He was brevetted to major in May 1846, and brevetted to lieutenant colonel in February 1847 for gallant and meritorious service.[1]
During his entire service in Texas and Mexico, he served as chief of staff to Major GeneralZachary Taylor. Bliss was noted for his efficiency and skills as a high-level aide. His writing was simple, elegant, vigorous, and picturesque. He was cheerful and popular with the public.
He had a talent for languages, and was fluent in at least thirteen.[2]George Perkins Marsh, the philologist, said that Bliss was the best linguist in America.
As the President's wife took no part in formal social events, she delegated the social role to their daughter Mary Elizabeth Bliss, who effectively became the First Lady of the White House at the age of 22. The popular young couple seemed destined to become powerful figures in Washington.
The president died suddenly in July 1850. Bliss and his wife Mary accompanied her widowed mother to Pascagoula, Mississippi. She died there in 1852, at the home of another daughter.
Bliss was assigned as Adjutant-General of the Western Division of the Army. Following a summer visit to New Orleans on behalf of University of Louisiana, Bliss contracted yellow fever. He died at Pascagoula on August 5, 1853, aged 37. He was buried at Girod Street Cemetery (defunct), New Orleans. A century later, his remains were moved to Fort Bliss National Cemetery in Texas.
March 8, 1854, the Post of El Paso was renamed in his honor as Fort Bliss.
A twenty-foot memorial, made of Italian marble, was erected in his honor in the Girod Street Cemetery, New Orleans. It noted he was "a finished scholar, an accomplished gentleman and a gallant soldier." In 1955, the cemetery was condemned for new construction in the Central Business District. When his remains were removed to the Fort Bliss National Cemetery, the monument was also moved and became the center piece of LTC William W. S. Bliss Parade Field, near Hinman Hall in Fort Bliss.[3]
References
Carl Sferrazza, America's First Families: An Inside View of 200 Years of Private Life in the White House, Lisa Drew Books