Edouard Izac | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California | |
| In office January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1947 | |
| Preceded by | George Burnham |
| Succeeded by | Charles K. Fletcher |
| Constituency | 20th district (1937–43) 23rd district (1943–47) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edouard Victor Michel Izac December 18, 1891 Cresco, Iowa |
| Died | January 18, 1990 (aged 98) Fairfax, Virginia |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | Progressive (1934) |
| Awards |
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| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1915–1921 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant commander |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Edouard Victor Michel Izac (December 18, 1891 – January 18, 1990) was a lieutenant in the United States Navy during World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient. From 1937 to 1947, he served five terms as a Representative from California.
Born in Cresco, Iowa, Izac grew up in a rural setting, graduating from United States Naval Academy in 1915. He was posted to the troop transport USS President Lincoln in 1918 when that ship was sunk by German submarine U-90. Taken as a prisoner of war, and not letting his captors know that he spoke German, Izac gathered intelligence on the submarine and its crew before being transferred to prison camps in Germany, from where he escaped in October 1918.
Izac subsequently moved to San Diego and was elected as a Democrat to California's 20th congressional district, where he chaired the House Naval Affairs Committee and had oversight of Naval activities in the Pacific during World War II. Despite initially being hesitant to enter the war and remaining cautious to expanded U.S. involvement, experiences touring Nazi concentration camps in 1945 ultimately hardened his resolve. Nonetheless, he lost his bid for a sixth term in Congress in 1946. Izac spent much of the rest of his life writing and farming in the Washington, D.C., area and was the last living Medal of Honor recipient of World War I when he died in 1990 at 98.[1]
- ^ "#OTD in 1918, Lt. Edouard Izac was captured by U-90 after his ship USS President Lincoln was torpedoed. Keeping secret that he spoke German, Izac gathered valuable intel about German sub operations by watching and listening to the crew. After being transferred to POW camps, he attempted several daring escapes including diving headfirst through the window of a moving train. He finally succeeded by disguising himself as a German guard during a mass nighttime escape in which the American prisoners cut the power to the camp. He was awarded the Medal of Honor and later served five terms in Congress. At the time of his death in 1990, he was the last living MoH recipient from WWI. When is the movie about his life?" from https://www.facebook.com/NavalInstitute Facebook post on 2022-05-31 https://www.facebook.com/100053357980297/posts/545776580544270/?d=n