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Franklin D'Olier (April 28, 1877 – December 10, 1953) was an American businessman who served as the first national commander of The American Legion from 1919 to 1920. He was also the great-grandfather of actor Christopher Reeve .
Franklin D’Olier, The American Legion’s first national commander. Born in New Jersey in 1877, D’Olier graduated from Princeton University and was heading up his father’s textile operation when World War I started.
Franklin D'Olier was an American insurance executive and businessman. He was among the delegates who assembled in Paris in March 1919 to establish the American Legion, being later unanimously elected the first commander of the American Legion at the Minneapolis convention.
Franklin D'Olier (April 28, 1877 – December 10, 1953) was an American businessman who served as the first national commander of The American Legion from 1919 to 1920. He was also the great-grandfather of actor Christopher Reeve.
Franklin D’Olier’s chief aim as national commander was the development and implementation of policies expressing the values of individual Legionnaires. His position on adjusted compensation for veterans, highly controversial at the time, evolved significantly as he listened to Legionnaires he met in his travels.
Franklin D'Olier of Pennsylvania was elected to serve as the first national commander, and Lemuel Bolles of Washington was appointed as the first national adjutant.
Past National Commander Franklin D’Olier passed away on Dec. 10, 1953, at the age of 76. His wife Helen had preceded him in death in 1950 after a five-year illness. They are buried at the D'Olier family grave site in Burlington, NJ.
