Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a really tremendous piece of WWI ephemera. This small “yard-long” photograph of Company H, 306th Infantry Regiment, is signed on the reverse by 39 solders in the company, including the company commander, Robert P. Patterson, who received the Distinguished Service Cross & Silver Star during World War I, and would later serve as the Under Secretary of War from December 16th, 1940 - September 27th, 1945 and the Secretary of War from September 27th, 1945 - July 18th, 1947. 

The photo measures 4 x 14” and depicts Company H, 306th Infantry Regiment at Camp Upton, New York, before going overseas in early 1918. There are a couple of tears but this is truly a one-of-a-kind piece, being signed by a future Secretary of War. Comes ready for further research and display.

Robert Porter Patterson Sr. (February 12, 1891 – January 22, 1952) was an American judge who served as Under Secretary of War under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and U.S. Secretary of War under President Harry S. Truman. He was a US circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit after he had been a district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Born on February 12, 1891, in Glens Falls, New York, the son of Lodice Edna (née Porter) and Charles Robert Patterson, Patterson received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1912 from Union College and a Bachelor of Laws in 1915 from Harvard Law School. He entered private practice in New York City from 1915 to 1916, with what today is the law firm of Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler, also serving with that firm in subsequent periods of private practice. He served in the New York Army National Guard from 1916 to 1917. He served in the United States Army from 1917 to 1919, attaining the rank of Major. He received the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star for heroism in France. Patterson served in the 306th Infantry Regiment which was assigned to the 77th Division. He returned to private practice in New York City from 1919 to 1930.