Outram 0. Sherman
Early Life
Outram Willett Sherman was born on May 24, 1895, in Rye, New York, the son of Arthur Outram Sherman and Janet Morrison Sheldon. He grew up in Rye as part of a prominent local family and was educated during a period of relative prosperity prior to the First World War.
By 1917, he was residing at Eastcliff in Rye and was still a student, reflecting a young man on the path toward a professional or academic career before the interruption of military service.
World War I Service
Sherman entered military service during the First World War through the officer training system, receiving a commission as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army. He was assigned to the 55th Infantry Regiment, a Regular Army unit associated with training and stateside military organization during the war.
His service reflects the rapid expansion of the Army’s officer corps during World War I, when large numbers of educated young men were commissioned to meet the demands of a growing military force.
However, his commission was later terminated by direction of the War Department on the general grounds that he did not meet the requirements for permanent appointment. Such actions were not uncommon during the postwar reduction of the Army, when provisional wartime commissions were reviewed and many officers were released from service.
There is no clear record of overseas deployment, indicating that his service was likely confined to the United States during the period of training and organizational expansion.
Life After Service
Following his military service, Sherman settled in Mahopac, New York, where he spent much of his adult life. He operated the Bullet Hole Riding Academy and the Bullet Hole Kennels, developing a reputation in equestrian and kennel circles over several decades.
He married Avice Laurette Rabbitt in 1917, and the couple had three children: Alden Outram Sherman, Minot Davis Sherman, and a daughter who later resided in Virginia.
Outram W. Sherman died on September 28, 1982, in Glen Allen, Virginia, at the age of 87.
At the time of his death, he was survived by his children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.