Charles T. Menoher
Charles T. Menoher | |
---|---|
![]() Major General Charles T. Menoher | |
Born | Johnstown, Pennsylvania | March 20, 1862
Died | August 11, 1930 Washington, D.C. | (aged 68)
Place of burial | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() |
Years of service | 1886–1926 |
Rank | ![]() |
Commands | 42nd Infantry Division VI Corps US Army Air Service Hawaiian Department IX Corps |
Battles/wars | Spanish-American War, World War I |
Awards | Distinguished Service Medal |
Major General Charles Thomas Menoher (March 20, 1862 – August 11, 1930) was a U.S. Army general, first Chief of the United States Army Air Service from 1918 to 1921, and commanded the U.S. Army Hawaiian Department from 1924 to 1925.
Early life
The son of a Civil War veteran, Menoher was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1862 and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1886 with a commission as an artillery officer.[1]
Military career
Menoher served in Cuba and the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. He later graduated from the Army War College and was selected for the original General Staff Corps, where he served from 1903 to 1907. He was commander of the 5th Field Artillery Regiment from 1916 to 1917.[2]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Portrait_of_Charles_T._Menoher.jpg/180px-Portrait_of_Charles_T._Menoher.jpg)
After being promoted to brigadier general in August 1917, Menoher commanded the Rainbow Division in France during World War I, participating in the Champagne-Marne offensive and in the successful Allied offensives of Saint Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne. Menoher was succeeded by General Douglas MacArthur in this position.[3] At war's end, Menoher commanded the VI Corps (United States)[3] and received the Distinguished Service Medal,[4] along with foreign awards from France, Belgium, and Italy.[3]
Following World War I, Menoher became first Director and then Chief of Air Service, where he began a famous (and ultimately losing) conflict with his Assistant Chief, Brigadier General Billy Mitchell.[5] He was promoted to major general in March 1921. Requesting an assignment with troops, Menoher then took command of the Hawaiian Division in 1922 before taking over the entire Hawaiian Department. After this, he commanded the IX Corps Area in San Francisco until his mandatory retirement on March 20, 1926.[2]
Personal life
He married Nannie Pearson. They had four sons: Charles, Pearson, Darrow, and William.[2][3] His three youngest sons all graduated from West Point, and served in the Army during World War II. Pearson (1892–1958), a classmate of Dwight D. Eisenhower, reached the rank of Major General during the Korean War.[citation needed]
Menoher later married Elizabeth Painter.[3]
Death and legacy
Menoher died on August 11, 1930.[2] He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.[6]
Menoher Boulevard, a major road in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is named after him.[7]
Dates of rank
Insignia | Rank | Component | Date |
---|---|---|---|
None | Cadet | United States Military Academy | 1 July 1882 |
None in 1886 | Second Lieutenant | Regular Army | 1 July 1886 |
![]() |
First Lieutenant | Regular Army | 23 December 1892 |
![]() |
Captain | Regular Army | 2 February 1901 |
![]() |
Major | Regular Army | 25 January 1907 |
![]() |
Lieutenant Colonel | Regular Army | 26 May 1911 |
![]() |
Colonel | Regular Army | 1 July 1916 |
![]() |
Brigadier General | National Army | 5 August 1917 |
![]() |
Major General | National Army | 28 November 1917 (Reverted to Brigadier General on 15 February 1919.) |
![]() |
Brigadier General | Regular Army | 7 November 1918 |
![]() |
Major General | Temporary | 3 July 1920 |
![]() |
Major General | Regular Army | 8 March 1921 |
![]() |
Major General | Retired List | 20 March 1926 |
References
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: [1]
- ^ Davis Jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. p. 267. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.
- ^ a b c d Davis Jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. p. 268. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.
- ^ a b c d e Who Was Who in American History – the Military. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1975. p. 380. ISBN 0837932017.
- ^ "Valor awards for Charles Thomas Menoher".
- ^ Clodfelter, Mark A. , 'Molding Air Power Convictions: Development and Legacy of William Mitchell's Strategic Thought', in Melinger, Phillip S. ed., The Paths of Heaven: The Evolution of Air Power Theory, Alabama, Air University Press, 1997, 79–114, p.91
- ^ Patterson, Michael Robert. "Charles Thomas Menoher, Major General, United States Army".
- ^ https://www.tribdem.com/news/great-war-changed-everything-johnstown-region-gave-much-to-global/article_a0599374-e42a-11e8-9d42-d75ce3febe21.html
- ^ Official Register of Commissioned Officers of the United States Army. 1927. pg. 772.
External links
- United States Army generals
- United States Army generals of World War I
- United States Military Academy alumni
- American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
- American army personnel of World War I
- People from Johnstown, Pennsylvania
- 1862 births
- 1930 deaths
- Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
- Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)