Archibald Henderson

For other people named Archibald Henderson, see Archibald Henderson (disambiguation).

Archibald Henderson
5th Commandant of the Marine Corps (1820-1859)
Nickname	"Grand old man of the Marine Corps"
Born	January 21, 1783(1783-01-21) Colchester, Fairfax County, Virginia
Died	January 6, 1859(1859-01-06) (aged 75) Washington, D.C.
Place of burial	Congressional Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1806-1859
Rank	Colonel (Brevet Brigadier General)
Commands held	Commandant of the Marine Corps
Battles/wars	War of 1812 Indian wars Mexican-American War

Archibald Henderson (January 21, 1783 – January 6, 1859) was the longest-serving Commandant of the Marine Corps, serving from 1820 to 1859. He is often referred to as the "Grand old man of the Marine Corps," serving in the United States Marine Corps for 53 years.

Biography

Born in Colchester, Fairfax County, Virginia to successful merchant Alexander Henderson. Archibald Henderson was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on June 4, 1806 and served aboard USS Constitution during her famous victories in the War of 1812. He participated in several shipboard engagements and was decorated for bravery. He was brevetted a major in 1814.

From September 16, 1818 to March 2, 1819, Henderson was the acting Commandant. On October 17, 1820, at the age of 37, LtCol Henderson was appointed as the Commandant of the Marine Corps. He served in this position for a little over 38 years — the longest of any officer to hold that position.

Henderson is credited with thwarting attempts by President Andrew Jackson to combine the Marine Corps with the Army in 1829. Instead, Congress passed the Act for the Better Organization of the Marine Corps in 1834, ensuring the Marines would remain part of the United States Department of the Navy. He was promoted to colonel the same year.

He went into the field as Commandant during the Indian campaigns in Florida and Georgia during 1836 and 1837, and was promoted brevet brigadier general in 1843 for his actions during these campaigns. Tradition holds that he pinned a note to his door that read, "Gone to Florida to fight the Indians. Will be back when the war is over."

Marines also fought during the Mexican-American War during his tenure as Commandant. The sword presented to Henderson upon completion of the action was inscribed with the words, "From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli" giving the opening words to the Marines' hymn.

General Henderson died suddenly on January 6, 1859. He is buried in the Congressional Cemetery. According to Marine lore, the Colonel Commandant had attempted to will his home — actually government-provided quarters in which he had lived for 38 years — to his heirs, having forgotten that they were government owned.

USS Henderson (AP-1), and Henderson Hall Barracks were named for him.

See also

• Commandant of the Marine Corps
• List of Historically Important U.S. Marines

References

This article incorporates public domain text and image from the official USMC biography.

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
• "Colonel and Brevet Brigadier General Archibald Henderson, USMC". Who's Who in Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marine Corps. http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Whos_Who/Henderson_A.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-29. 

Further reading

• Dawson, Joseph G. (October 1998). "With Fidelity and Effectiveness: Archibald Henderson's Lasting Legacy to the U.S. Marine Corps". Journal of Military History (Society for Military History) 62 (4): 727–753. doi:10.2307/120176. JSTOR 120176. 
• Allan Reed Millett and Jack Shulimson, ed (2004). Commandants of the Marine Corps. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 54–73. ISBN 9780870210129. http://books.google.com/books?id=Qns8bW_SESYC. 

Military offices
Preceded by LtCol Franklin Wharton	Commandant of the United States Marine Corps (acting) 1818–1819	Succeeded by LtCol Anthony Gale
Preceded by LtCol Anthony Gale	Commandant of the United States Marine Corps 1820–1859	Succeeded by Col John Harris