William Thomas Harney, an unsung hero of the Viet Nam War, was born in Garwood, New Jersey on September 7th, 1945. Credited with saving the lives of more than 800 Prisoners of War, Bill was offered the Purple Heart on 6 separate occasions. He accepted only 2 of the 6 that were offered to him.
The son of Dean Harney, a Merchant Marine, and Dorothy June Froat, a Native American, he is the Great Grandson of Brigadier General
Through his mother, Dorothy June, who was also known as Little Fawn, Bill was exposed to the world of entertainment. She was the first actress to portray Princess Summerfall Winterspring on the original Howdy Doody puppet show that aired in the 1950s. Her mother, Alma Nimi Froat, became fast friends with movie legends such as Mae West, James Cagney, Charlton Heston, George Burns and Carey Grant. As a child, Bill knew them all. Bill often met these stars at Green’s Five and Ten on Broad Street in Elizabeth, New Jersey, their favorite meeting place.
Bill received his first guitar, an acoustic electric, from Tennessee Ernie Ford, who was a friend of Frank Far Oats, his maternal Grandfather.
Frank Far Oats, which later became Frank Froat, was employed by the Rahway Valley Railroad in Kenilworth, New Jersey; a career he pursued for 64 years. A dedicated Engineer, Frank was known for his record of perfect attendance. The Rahway Valley Railroad, considered the richest and “most liberal” of the privately owned railroads, holds a special place in Bill’s childhood memories. He remembers seeing the smoke from his grandfather’s locomotive as it emerged from the mountains, and hearing the tunes his grandfather played on the train’s whistle.
Bill’s paternal Grandfather, who was also named William Harney, was a Superior Court Judge at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth, New Jersey. A strict disciplinarian, he schooled Bill and the other children on nuances of the U.S. Constitution. It was as a result of his influence, that Bill earned advanced degrees in Forensic Ecology, the Constitution and Criminal Law, from the Newark State College, which was later named Kane College, after Governor Kane.
After leaving the service, Bill went on to pursue a career with the NYPD. He became an instructor at the John J Police Academy and retired as a Police Inspector after 34 years of distinguished service.
In the Spring of 2011, Bill became an Independent candidate for President of the United States. Having obtained more than 112,000 signatures, his name appeared on the Ballot for the Presidential Preference Primary Election that was held in Florida on January 31st, 2012. He received more than 400,000 votes in that election, which were mysteriously “lost”.
When his name was removed from the list of “Qualified” candidates, he re-entered the race April 4th, 2012, as the Vice Presidential Running Mate of Erin Kent Magee, the 1st Republican Presidential Candidate from the State of Florida(2012).
