Biography
David Graham Vance (Dec. 30, 1894 - Oct. 27, 1918) was born to Dr. W.K. Vance and Mrs. Marie Doriot Vance in Bristol, Tennessee. He attended the University of Tennessee's Class of 1920 as an engineering student, but enlisted in the United States Navy in Nashville, TN, on December 15, 1918 before graduating. He died at the Naval Aviation Repair Base in Eastleigh, England on October 27, 1918 due to pneumonia at the rank of Machinist Mate First Class. He is buried at the East Hill Cemetery in Bristol.
“Death of Graham Vance Former Football Star Dies From Pneumonia on a U.S. Steamer”
Bristol, Tenn., Nov. 1. Message was received by Dr. W.K. Vance announcing the death of his son, Graham Vance, which occurred on the U.S.S. Eastleigh, October 27. The message was received last night but no details were given. Death was due to bronchial pneumonia. Vance was 24 years old and a popular Bristol boy. He was a star football player at King College for several seasons. His parents, Dr. and Mrs. W. K.Vance, this city, and three brothers, Lieut. Richard Vance, serving with the medical corps overseas, Douglas Vance, with the American Expeditionary Forces in France, and Fred Vance, of the U.S. Navy survive him.
-The Journal and Tribune, Knoxville, Tennessee, November 2, 1918.
Information
- Rank:Machinists Mate First Class
- Branch: Navy
- UT Major/Affiliation: Class of 1920
- Hometown: Bristol, TN