Cary Devall Langhorne (1873-1948)

Lynchburg native Cary D. Langhorne spent his early years here. A surgeon in the U.S. Navy, he was wounded in the Philippine-American War (1899-1902). During the Mexican Revolution, the U.S. government disputed the legitimacy of Mexican Pres. Victoriano Huerta. Clashes over a German arms shipment and the detention of American sailors led Pres. Woodrow Wilson to order American vessels, including Langhorne's ship USS Vermont, to seize the port of Veracruz. On 22 Apr. 1914, during the ensuing battle, Langhorne carried a wounded man to safety under heavy fire, for which he received the Medal of Honor. He later served aboard a hospital ship during World War I.