Francis P. Duffy

Father Francis P. Duffy
Monument in Duffy Square in northern triangle of Times Square, New York City
Born(1871-05-02)May 2, 1871
Cobourg, Ontario, Canada
DiedJune 27, 1932(1932-06-27) (aged 61)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)Soldier, priest

Francis Patrick Duffy (May 2, 1871 – June 27, 1932)[1] was a Canadian American soldier, Catholic priest and military chaplain.

Duffy served as chaplain for the 69th Infantry Regiment (known as the "Fighting 69th"), a unit of the New York Army National Guard largely drawn from the city's Irish-American and immigrant population.[2] He served in the Spanish–American War (1898), but it is his service on the Western Front in France during World War I (1917–1918) for which he is best known. Duffy, who typically was involved in combat and accompanied litter bearers into the thick of battle to recover wounded soldiers, became the most highly decorated cleric in the history of the United States Army.

Duffy Square – the northern half of New York City's Times Square between 45th and 47th Streets – is named in his honor.

  1. ^ "Father Duffy". www.sixtyninth.net. Archived from the original on 2018-09-28. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  2. ^ For part of World War I (from 1917 forward to 1992), this New York Army National Guard regiment was redesignated as the "165th Infantry Regiment."