Sosthenes Behn – Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army Telecommunications Pioneer

Born at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, January 30, 1882 and educated at St. Thomas, Ajaccio, Corsica, St. Barbe and Paris, France. Married to Margaret Dunlap; children, Edward John, William Charles, Margaret Cecilia.

Chairman, International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation. Internat, Standard Electric Company, Chairman and President of the Board, Cuban Telephone Company, President and Director, Port of Havana Docks COmpany, Radio Corporation of Cuba, Standard Products Distributing of Cuba, Interntional Telephone and Telegraph (Espana). Chairman-director, Puerto Rico Telephone Company, Radio Corporation of Puerto Rico. Director and chairman of the Finance Committee, Federal Electric Company. Director, American Cable and Radio Corporation, Capehart Farnsworth Company, the Coolerator Company, Federal Telecommunications Labs, Federal Telephone and Radio Company, Kellogg Switchboard and Supply Company, CIA Standard Electric Company (Puerto Rico and Argentina), Kellogg Credit Corporation, Standard Elektrizitats-Gesellschaf, A.G., Standard Electricia,Lisbon, Standard Electricia of Madrid, the National City Bank, New York, L.M. Ericcsson Telephone Company, Sweden. Delegate Representative, National Convention of 1912, member of Republican National Committee, 1912-16.

Commissioned a Captain, Signal Corps,United States Army, June 19, 1917, later Major and Lieutenant Colonel. Served with the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in France in World War I until February 1919. Commanded the 232nd Field Signal Battalion, Chatteau Thierry, St. Mihiel, Argonne. Awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM), Medal of Merit, Commnder of the Legion of Honor of France, Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella la Catolica of Spain, Grand Officer of the Order of St. Gregory. Office: 67 Broad Street, New York City.

He died in New York City in 1957 and was buried in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery. His stone reads: “Co-founder, with his brother, Hernando, of the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation.

Margaret Dunlap Behn
Edward John Behn

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard