Alexander J. Foley (1866–1910)

A Schuylkill County coal miner’s son and career Marine, decorated for a rescue under fire half a world away. Markers: ★ verified · ✔ confirmed · ✎ corrects a common error · ⚑ open/caution.

Alexander J. Foley earned the Medal of Honor for gallantry near Tientsin, China, on July 13, 1900, during the China Relief Expedition (the Boxer Rebellion). ★ Under enemy fire, Foley was one of a small party of Marines who carried the badly wounded Major James Regan roughly three miles to a field hospital. His medal was presented on May 11, 1902, at the Marine garrison in Cavite, in the Philippines. ★

Foley was born on February 19, 1866, in Heckscherville, a coal-patch village in Cass Township, Schuylkill County, the son of an Irish coal miner. ✔ He made the Marine Corps his career, first seeing combat in Cuba during the 1898 Spanish–American War, and died on duty on January 14, 1910. ✔

Honored on: Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial.

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Sources

• Congressional Medal of Honor Society — Alexander Joseph Foley
  License: reference

  Authoritative Medal of Honor recipient roster; facts here are summarized from the listed sources, not reproduced.

• Marine Corps History Division — Sgt Alexander Joseph Foley
  License: public-domain
• Wikipedia: Alexander J. Foley
  License: CC-BY-SA-4.0

  Supplemental source for the biographical detail (his father was a Heckscherville coal miner; he first saw combat in Cuba during the 1898 Spanish–American War); not used for the Medal of Honor citation itself.

• Naval History and Heritage Command — Boxer Rebellion Medal of Honor recipients, 1900
  License: public-domain
• Wikidata: Alexander J. Foley (Q4719206)
  License: CC0
• Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial, Pottsville (Historical Marker Database)
  License: reference

Frequently asked

What did Alexander J. Foley do to earn the Medal of Honor?

In the fighting near Tientsin, China, on July 13, 1900, during the China Relief Expedition (Boxer Rebellion), Marine Sergeant Foley was among a small party that, under enemy fire, carried the badly wounded Major James Regan to a field hospital roughly three miles away. His medal was presented May 11, 1902, at Cavite in the Philippines.

Where was Alexander Foley from?

He was born February 19, 1866, in Heckscherville, a coal-patch village in Cass Township, Schuylkill County, the son of an Irish coal miner. He died on duty in 1910.