Fred C. Ainsworth

Fred C. Ainsworth
Fred C. Ainsworth
Born	(1852-09-11)September 11, 1852 Woodstock, Vermont
Died	June 5, 1934(1934-06-05) (aged 81) Washington, D.C.
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1874-1912
Rank	Major General
Commands	Adjutant General of the U. S. Army

Frederick Crayton Ainsworth (September 11, 1852 – June 5, 1934) was a surgeon in the United States Army who eventually rose to the position of Adjutant General. A gifted administrator, Ainsworth revolutionized government record-keeping methods following his initial appointment in 1886 to the Record and Pensions Division of the War Department, making them vastly more efficient. Ainsworth's talents were quickly recognized, and he was given administrative responsibility over more and more government departments, thus accumulating considerable power and eventually becoming the dominant figure in the Department of War.

In the later stages of his career, Ainsworth, once a great innovator, became resistant to further reform proposed by the civilian leadership and was eventually forced from office in 1912 with the threat of court-martial for insubordination. Even after retirement however, he continued to exercise considerable influence through his political connections in Washington.

The Army later honored him by naming one its World War II troopships after him, the USAT Fred C. Ainsworth.

Biography

Ainsworth was born in Woodstock, Vermont on September 11, 1852. In 1874 he received his medical degree from the University of the City of New York (now New York University). In December 1874 Ainsworth joined the Army Medical Corps as an Assistant Surgeon.

He served initially in Arkansas and the Southwest United States, and was promoted to surgeon with the rank of captain in November 1879. In 1885 he was appointed recorder of the Army Medical Examining Board. His talents as an administrator resulted in his 1886 appointment as chief of the Army's Records and Pension Division in office of the Army Surgeon General.

Ainsworth's success in reorganizing the Records and Pension Division led to promotion to major in 1891. In 1892 he resigned his medical corps commission and was appointed a colonel with continued duty as head of the Records and Pension Office. He was promoted to brigadier general in March 1899, and in 1904 he was promoted to major general, with appointment as military secretary over a Records and Pension Office that continued to grow as it took on duties formerly performed by the office of the Army's adjutant general. In 1907 Ainsworth was appointed adjutant general, effectively taking on the rest of that office's responsibilities.

Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and Army Chief of Staff Leonard Wood proposed reorganizing the Army staff so that department heads reported to the chief of staff, and were not individually responsible to the Secretary of War or to Congress. Ainsworth vehemently opposed this change, until the possibilities of suspension and court martial led to his retirement in 1912.

Ainsworth died in Washington, D.C. on June 5, 1934. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 3, Lot 1389.

USNS Fred C. Ainsworth (T-AP-181), a World War II and Korean War troop carrier, was named for him.

Further reading

• Deutrich, Mabel E. (1962). Struggle for Supremacy: The Career of General Fred C. Ainsworth. Washington, D.C.: Public Affairs Press.
• Pullen, John J. (1997): A Shower of Stars: The Medal of Honor and the 27th Maine, Stackpole Books, ISBN 0-8117-0075-5, pp. 114–125. Extract.
• Skowronek, Stephen (1982): Building a New American State: The Expansion of National Administrative Capacities 1877–1920, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-28865-7, pp 221–233. Extract.

External links

• Fred C. Ainsworth, Arlington National Cemetery profile.