Biographical Note
William Hurn, Jr., was born on January 9, 1894, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Along with a younger sister, Luella, Hurn was the child of William Honley Hurn and Tillie Ann Braun. Known as "Bud" or "Bill," Hurn played both the violin and cornet, participating in a youth orchestra in his early teens. At the age of sixteen, Hurn was employed by Western Union as a telegraph operator in its Cincinnati office. He was later transferred to Parkersburg, Virginia, for a period of time. Hurn also traveled throughout the United States including trips to Indianapolis for the Indianapolis 500, and New Orleans in 1913 and 1916, respectively.
Hurn registered for the draft on June 5, 1917. He enlisted on July 23, 1917, and served with Company B, 314th Field Service Branch, 89th Division. By October 1917, Hurn was stationed at Camp Funston, Kansas. During this period of time, Hurn received several promotions, reaching the rank of Sergeant First Class on April 1, 1918, at Camp Funston. Hurn arrived in France in mid-June 1918, where he served as a telegraph operator, assisted with "wire work," and participated in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel. A few days after the battle, Hurn was assigned to a telegraph office. He left France on the SS Mongolia and arrived in the United States on August 9, 1919. Hurn was discharged at Camp Sherman, Ohio, on August 11, 1919.
Following his service, Hurn returned to Cincinnati, Ohio, to work as a telegraph operator. A religious man, he also attended Eden Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, and preached at local churches. Hurn was a patient at the Longview Hospital, a psychiatric hospital, in 1925. He never married or had children. William Hurn, Jr., committed suicide by hanging on May 6, 1925.