Harry was born in Newark, Ohio on the 1st of November, 1889, where he also enlisted in the US Navy and was serving as a Bluejacket, which is an armed Navy sailor, during the Mexican Campaign. His actions as a volunteer when capturing the government’s customs house earned him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Florida for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession during the seizure of Vera Cruz, Mexico, 21 April 1914.

The company that Harry was with was pinned down and the leader of their company, George Lowry (who also received the Medal of Honor and we will cover later), asked for volunteers and Harry was one of five. One of the five was killed and Harry was wounded but the team was still successful in getting the people in the customs house to surrender.

Harry received his Medal of Honor on the 15th of June, 1914 and exited the Navy until World War 1 when he reenlisted. He stayed in until 1921, reaching the rank of Chief Petty Officer. In 1926, Harry became a police officer in his hometown and was married to Esther. On the 30th of June, 1931, Harry was on duty walking downtown in Newark when he was shot by an armed gang that was trying to steal a safe from a shoe store. Harry C Beasley died from his wounds two days later on the 2nd of July at the age of 41 and the perpetrators were never identified or caught. He is buried with his wife in the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Newark, Ohio: Section 16, Lot 123.