John Taylor Lewis
Encyclopedia
John Taylor Lewis was a Lieutenant General
in the United States Army
.
on October 28, 1894.
In 1917 he received a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering from the University of Illinois, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Coast Artillery, and was assigned to the 37th Infantry Regiment in Laredo
, Texas
.
During World War I
he served in France
. After the war he remained in France as a military attaché
at the U.S. Embassy in Paris
.
In the 1920s he was assigned as an instructor at the Fort Monroe
, Virginia
Coast Artillery School.
In the early 1930s Lewis served as a member of the Coast Artillery Board at Fort Monroe.
In 1933 he began attendance at the Army Command and General Staff College, from which he graduated in 1935. In 1938 Lewis graduated from the Army War College.
From 1940 to 1941 he served in the Office of the Chief of Coast Artillery, first as Chief of the Material & Finance Section and then as Chief of the Fiscal Section.
In 1941 he was appointed Secretary of the War Department
General Staff as a Brigadier General
.
From 1942 to 1944 Lewis was the commander of the Washington Military District, receiving promotion to Major General
. In 1942 he was a member of the military panel that tried and convicted German saboteurs who were captured after entering the United States with a plan to attack military targets.
He was head of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces (SHAEF) mission to the French government from 1944 to 1945.
Lewis was commander of Fort Riley
, Kansas
from 1948 to 1950.
In 1952 he was appointed to head the Army’s Anti-aircraft Command and promoted to Lieutenant General, remaining in this position until his 1954 retirement.
His decorations included three awards of the Distinguished Service Medal
.
General Lewis died in San Diego, California
, on December 5, 1983.
Citation for First Distinguished Service Medal:
For exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility, as commanding General, Military District of Washington, from May 1942 to September 1944. Despite unusual difficulties arising through the impact in one area of the various chains of command, General Lewis developed a harmonious and efficient command and provided for the sound and adequate defense of the Nation’s Capital, effectively integrating the many diverse military and naval elements stationed in the vicinity of Washington. Facing an administrative situation of multiple complexities, he provided for the effective operations of the headquarters of the Army during a critical period when the armed forces of the Nation were being deployed in combat throughout the world. In accomplishing his tactical and administrative responsibilities in a highly efficient manner, he maintained close relationships with the civil government, planned and supervised the construction of needed recreational facilities and housing, and provided for the many diverse administrative and supply services for the Military District of Washington, and all War Department activities within the command. Through his devotion to duty, his superior leadership and his rare administrative ability, he has contributed materially to the war effort.
Name: Lewis, John T. Service: Army Rank: Major General Order: War Department, General Orders No. 88 (1944)
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
in the United States Army
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...
.
Biography
He was born in Rockford, IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
on October 28, 1894.
In 1917 he received a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering from the University of Illinois, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Coast Artillery, and was assigned to the 37th Infantry Regiment in Laredo
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
During 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...
he served in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. After the war he remained in France as a military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
at the U.S. Embassy in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
In the 1920s he was assigned as an instructor at the Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe was a military installation in Hampton, Virginia—at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
Coast Artillery School.
In the early 1930s Lewis served as a member of the Coast Artillery Board at Fort Monroe.
In 1933 he began attendance at the Army Command and General Staff College, from which he graduated in 1935. In 1938 Lewis graduated from the Army War College.
From 1940 to 1941 he served in the Office of the Chief of Coast Artillery, first as Chief of the Material & Finance Section and then as Chief of the Fiscal Section.
In 1941 he was appointed Secretary of the War Department
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
General Staff as a Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
.
From 1942 to 1944 Lewis was the commander of the Washington Military District, receiving promotion to Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
. In 1942 he was a member of the military panel that tried and convicted German saboteurs who were captured after entering the United States with a plan to attack military targets.
He was head of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces (SHAEF) mission to the French government from 1944 to 1945.
Lewis was commander of Fort Riley
Fort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
, 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...
from 1948 to 1950.
In 1952 he was appointed to head the Army’s Anti-aircraft Command and promoted to Lieutenant General, remaining in this position until his 1954 retirement.
His decorations included three awards of the Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal (Army)
The Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Army that is presented to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the United States military, has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great...
.
General Lewis died in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, on December 5, 1983.
Citation for First Distinguished Service Medal:
For exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility, as commanding General, Military District of Washington, from May 1942 to September 1944. Despite unusual difficulties arising through the impact in one area of the various chains of command, General Lewis developed a harmonious and efficient command and provided for the sound and adequate defense of the Nation’s Capital, effectively integrating the many diverse military and naval elements stationed in the vicinity of Washington. Facing an administrative situation of multiple complexities, he provided for the effective operations of the headquarters of the Army during a critical period when the armed forces of the Nation were being deployed in combat throughout the world. In accomplishing his tactical and administrative responsibilities in a highly efficient manner, he maintained close relationships with the civil government, planned and supervised the construction of needed recreational facilities and housing, and provided for the many diverse administrative and supply services for the Military District of Washington, and all War Department activities within the command. Through his devotion to duty, his superior leadership and his rare administrative ability, he has contributed materially to the war effort.
Name: Lewis, John T. Service: Army Rank: Major General Order: War Department, General Orders No. 88 (1944)