The Birthday of Eternity

Henry Flipper, died May 3, 1940

Henry Flipper never married.  He retired to Atlanta at age 75 to live with  his brother, Bishop Joseph Flipper.

On May 3, 1940, Henry O. Flipper, at the age of 84, was found dead in his bedroom of a heart attack. 

Flipper was buried in the family grave site at the Southview Cemetery in Atlanta , Georgia . His brother, Bishop Flipper, placed a headstone at his grave that read, "Lt. Henry O. Flipper, Retired U.S. Army Officer, 1856-1940."

In 1978 , Lt. Flipper came home again to Thomasville, 101 years after his last homecoming. His remains were disinterred and then re-interred in the Old Magnolia Cemetery in Thomasville. He was buried beside his mother and father.  The homecoming began at the First Missionary Baptist Church , where about 500 people black, white, dignitaries and common people alike came to pay their respects. 

Grave of Henry Flipper

In 1972, the Ray MacColl, a Valdosta , Georgia school teacher, began researching Lt. Flipper's case at the urging of  Irsle Flipper King, Flipper's niece, of Valdosta and other family members, including citizens from Thomasville.  In 1976, family members and supporters applied to the Army Board for the Correction of Military Records on behalf of Flipper. The Board, after stating that it did not have the authority to overturn his court-martial conviction, concluded the conviction and punishment were "unduly harsh and unjust" and recommended that Flipper’s dismissal be changed to a good conduct discharge. The Assistant Secretary of the Army and the Adjutant General  approved the Board's findings, conclusions, and recommendations and directed that the Army issue Flipper a Certificate of Honorable Discharge, dated June 30, 1882, in lieu of his dismissal on the same date. 

In 1997, a private law firm filed an application of pardon with the Army on Flipper's behalf.  Many pardon applications had been rejected in the past because the intended recipients were deceased. However, President Bill Clinton pardoned Flipper on February 19, 1999.

After his discharge was changed, a bust of Flipper was unveiled at West Point. Since then, an annual Henry O. Flipper Award has been granted to graduating cadets at the Academy who exhibit "leadership, self-discipline, and perseverance in the face of unusual difficulties."

On March 30, 2007 , the Army at Fort Leavenworth , Kansas , took another step in honoring Lt. Henry O. Flipper’s legacy with the dedication of a bronze bust of him at the Buffalo Soldier Monument at Fort Leavenworth . It sits on a concrete pedestal that chronicles his military and civilian careers.

Bust of Henry Flipper at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas