Sosthenes Behn

Sosthenes Behn (January 30,1882 - June 6,1957) is an American businessman widely known for founding ITT. He held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army.

Sosthenes Behn was born in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. His ancestry was German on his paternal side, and French on his maternal side.

Behn served in the United States Army and was commissioned a Captain, Signal Corps, on June 19, 1917. He later achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, having served with distinction during World War I. Behn served with the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in France until February 1919. He was given command of the 232nd Field Signal Battalion, Chatteau Thierry, St. Mihiel, Argonne. For his valor in combat, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM).

After his return from active duty serving his country, Colonel Behn co-founded the Puerto Rico Telephone Company which eventually spawned ITT.

Behn, along with his brother, Hernan, built the "Two Brothers Bridge" —"Puente Dos Hermanos" in Spanish— in San Juan. The bridge links the districts of Condado and Old San Juan.

During the war, all of ITT's German holdings were put under German government control. These included a minority share in airplane manufacturer Focke-Wulf, which ITT had acquired through its contacts with German financier Kurt Schröder. After the end of the war, the US authorities returned these assets to their rightful US owner.

In recognition of his extraordinary service to his country, Sosthenes Behn is interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

See also

* Telecommunications in Puerto Rico

References

# Morales Cortés, Ramón. [http://www.vii.org/papers/puer.htm Telecommunications in Puerto Rico] (paper). New York, USA: "Virtual Institute of Information".

External links

* [http://webpac.uvi.edu/imls/pi_uvi/profiles1972/Entrepreneurs/Behn_S/index.shtml Sosthenes Behn Sosthenes Behn - Brief Biography ]