Commandant of the United States Army Command and General Staff College
Encyclopedia
The Commandant of the United States Army Command and General Staff College is the highest ranking official at the United States Army
's Fort Leavenworth
, Kansas
, installation. The position is similar to the West Point Superintendent and is roughly equivalent to the chancellor
or president of an American civilian university. Since 1976, the commandant has been a Lieutenant General
(three stars) and is also in charge of the United States Army Combined Arms Center which includes other training organizations at Fort Leavenworth.
The General Staff College, which is a graduate school
, trains a high number of United States Army field officer
s, many of whom go on to become general officers, including all of the five-star generals since World War II
. The college is part of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
.
and World War I
.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
's Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, installation. The position is similar to the West Point Superintendent and is roughly equivalent to the chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
or president of an American civilian university. Since 1976, the commandant has been a Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
(three stars) and is also in charge of the United States Army Combined Arms Center which includes other training organizations at Fort Leavenworth.
The General Staff College, which is a graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
, trains a high number of United States Army field officer
Field officer
A field officer is an army, marine, or air force commissioned officer senior in rank to a company officer but junior to a general officer; in some navies, it is an officer who is a Lieutenant Commander, Commander, or Captain....
s, many of whom go on to become general officers, including all of the five-star generals since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The college is part of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
Established 1 July 1973, the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command is an army command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces, the development of operational doctrine, and the development and procurement of...
.
Commandants
The college has the following list of commandants. There were also breaks during the Spanish-American WarSpanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
and World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
- COL Elwell Otis November 1881 - June 1885 (School of Application for Calvary and Infantry)
- COL Thomas Howard Ruger June 1885 - May 1886
- COL Alexander McDowell McCookAlexander McDowell McCookAlexander McDowell McCook was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
May 1886 - August 1890 (renamed United States Infantry and Cavalry School) - COL Edwin F. Townsend August 1890 - October 1894
- COL Hamilton Smith Hawkins October 1894 - April 1898 (closed during Spanish-American War)
- COL Charles W. MinerSeptember 1902 - June 1903 (renamed General Service and Staff College)
- BG John Franklin BellJ. Franklin BellJames Franklin Bell was Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1906 to 1910.Bell was a major-general in the Regular United States Army, commanding the Department of the East, with headquarters at Governors Island, New York at the time of his death in 1919...
July 1903 - June 1906 (renamed United States Infantry and Cavalry School) - BG Charles Badger Hall August 1906 - April 1908 (renamed Army School of the Line)
- MAJ John Frank Morrison (Acting) April 1908 - August 1908
- BG Frederick FunstonFrederick FunstonFrederick N. Funston also known as Fred Funston, was a General in the United States Army, best known for his role in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War...
August 1908 - January 1911 - BG Ramsay D. Potts January 1911 - February 1913
- LTC William Power Burnham (Acting) February 1913 - August 1914
- BG Henry A. GreeneHenry A. GreeneHenry Augustus Greene was a collector of ancient Greek coins and citizen of Providence, Rhode Island, USA. He had ties with the Rhode Island School of Design Museum to whom he donated a variety of objects, and where his coin collection now resides.-Biography:Henry A...
September 1914 - August 1916 - BG Eben SwiftEben SwiftEben Swift was a Major General in the United States Army.-Biography:Swift was born on May 11, 1854 at Fort Chadbourne to Captain Ebenezer Swift and his wife, Sarah. He would attend Racine College, Washington University in St. Louis, and Dickinson College. On May 18, 1880 he married Susan Bonaparte...
August 1916 - November 1916 (officer training closed during World War I although other training took place) - LTC James W. McAndrew November 1916 - June 1917
- LTC Charles H. Miller June 1917 - July 1917
- COL William A. Shunk July 1917 - July 1919
- MG Charles H. Muir July 1919 - August 1920
- COL Lucius Roy HolbrookLucius Roy HolbrookLucius Roy Holbrook was a Major General who commanded of the United States Army's Philippine Department from 1936 to 1938....
August 1920 - September 1920 - BG Hugh Aloysius Drum September 1920 - July 1921
- BG Hanson Edward Ely August 1921 - June 1923
- BG Harry A. Smith July 1923 - June 1925
- BG Edward Leonard King July 1925 - July 1929 (renamed Command and General Staff School)
- MG Stuart HeintzelmanStuart HeintzelmanMajor General Stuart Heintzelman was an American soldier.He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Cavalry from the United States Military Academy in 1899...
July 1929 - February 1935 - MG Herbert J. BreesHerbert J. BreesHerbert Jay Brees was a lieutenant general in the United States Army.-Early military career:Brees was born in Laramie, Wyoming on June 12, 1877. He graduated from the University of Wyoming with a BS in 1897 and earned his L.L.D in 1939....
February 1935 - June 1936 - BG Charles Michael Bundel June 1936 - March 1939
- BG Leslie James McNair April 1939 - October 1940
- BG Edmund L. GruberEdmund L. GruberEdmund Louis "Snitz" Gruber was an artillery officer and general in the United States Army who also gained popularity as composer of military music. He served as Commandant of the Command and General Staff College from October 1940 to May 1941.-Life and career:Edmund Louis Gruber was born in...
October 1940 - May 1941 - BG Horace H. FullerHorace H. FullerMajor General Horace H. Fuller was an American soldier and general in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his command of the 41st Infantry Division in the South West Pacific Area during World War II....
June 1941 - November 1941 - COL Converse R. Lewis (Acting) November 1941 - March 1942
- MG Karl Truesdell March 1942 - November 1945
- LTG Leonard T. GerowLeonard T. GerowLeonard Townsend Gerow was a United States Army general.-Early life:Gerow was born in Petersburg, Virginia. The name Gerow is derived from the French name "Giraud". Gerow attended high school in Petersburg and then attended the Virginia Military Institute. He was three times elected class...
November 1945 - January 1948 (renamed Command and General Staff College) - LTG Manton S. EddyManton S. EddyManton Sprague Eddy was a lieutenant general of the United States Army.-Early life:Eddy graduated from Shattuck Military School in Faribault, Minnesota in 1913. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1916. Thoroughly the infantryman, Manton Eddy served in France in World War I in rifle and machine...
January 1948 - July 1950 - BG Harlan N. Hartness (Acting) July 1950 - October 1950
- MG Horace L. McBrideHorace L. McBrideHorace Logan McBride was a US Army General during World War II. He commanded American forces in the Ardennes , the Rhineland, and Central Europe during that conflict.-Early Professional Life:...
October 1950 - March 1952 - MG Henry I. HodesHenry I. HodesHenry Irving Hodes was a United States Army four star general who served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe/Commander, Central Army Group from 1956 to 1959.-Military career:...
March 1952 - March 1954 - BG Charles E. Beauchamp(Acting) March 1954 - July 1954
- MG Garrison Holt Davidson July 1954 - July 1956
- MG Lionel C. McGarrLionel C. McGarrLionel Charles McGarr was a Lieutenant General in the United States Army. He was the last commander of Military Assistance Advisory Group -- Vietnam.-Early life and start of military career:...
July 1956 - August 1960 - MG Harold K. Johnson August 1960 - February 1963
- MG Harry Jacob Lemley, Jr. February 1963 - August 1966
- MG Michael S. DavisonMichael S. DavisonMichael Shannon Davison was a United States Army four star general who served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe/Commander, Central Army Group from 1971 to 1975.-Military career:...
August 1966 - September 1968 - MG John Hancock Hay September 1968 - 1971 (3)
- MG John J. HennesseyJohn J. HennesseyJohn Joseph Hennessey was a United States Army four star general who served as Commander in Chief, United States Readiness Command from 1974 to 1979.-Military career:...
1971 - July/August 1973 - MG John H. Cushman 1 Jul 73 – February 1976
- MG Morris J. Brady (acting) February, 1976 - November 1976
- LTG John R. Thurman III November 1976 - 30 Sep 79
- LTG William Reed Richardson 9 Oct 79 - 23 Aug 81
- LTG Howard F. Stone 24 Aug 81 - 25 Jun 82
- LTG Jack W. "Neil" Merritt 26 Jun 82 - 6 Jun 83
- LTG Carl E. VuonoCarl E. VuonoCarl Edward Vuono is a retired United States Army General who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1987 to 1991.-Early life and career:...
24 Jun 83 - 9 Jun 85 - LTG Robert W. RisCassiRobert W. RisCassiRobert William RisCassi is a retired United States Army four star general who served as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1989 to 1990; Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander in Chief, ROK/U.S. Combined Forces Command/Commander, U.S...
10 Jun 85 - 9 Jun 86 - LTG Gerald T. Bartlett 10 Jun 86 - 13 Jul 88
- LTG Leonard P. Wishart III 14 Jul 88 - 15 Aug 91
- LTG Wilson Allen Shoffner 16 Aug 91 – 27 Jul 93
- LTG John E. Miller (general) 27 Jul 93 – 19 Jul 95
- LTG Leonard D. Holder, Jr. 19 Jul 95 – 7 Aug 97
- LTG Montgomery C. MeigsMontgomery MeigsMontgomery Cunningham Meigs is a retired United States Army General. He is the great-great-great grandnephew of Montgomery C. Meigs...
7 Aug 97 - 22 Oct 98 - LTG William M. SteeleWilliam M. SteeleLieutenant General William Michael Steele commanded the U.S. Army, Pacific from July 1996 to October 1998. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, he graduated from The Citadel in 1967 and earned a Master of Arts in Management from Webster University in St. Louis...
23 Oct 98 – 25 Jul 01 - LTG James C. Riley 26 Jul 01 – 25 Jun 03
- LTG William Scott Wallace 13 Jul 03 – 19 Oct 2005
- LTG David H. Petraeus 20 Oct 05 – 2 Feb 2007
- LTG William B. Caldwell IV 11 Jun 07 - October 2009
- LTG Robert L. CaslenRobert L. CaslenRobert L. Caslen Jr. is a United States Army general officer who is currently serving as the commanding general of NATO Training Mission-Iraq. Most recently, he served as the commanding general of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth...
December 2009 (nominated in December 2009 but confirmed in March) - July 2011 - LTG David G. PerkinsDavid G. PerkinsDavid G. Perkins is a United States Army general who was commander of the 4th Infantry Division in Fort Carson, Colorado from 2009 to 2011 and was named in July 2011 to be Commandant of the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas .Perkins was born in...
November 2011 - incumbent