The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines and U.S. Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded on April 6, 1866 in Springfield, Illinois on the principles of "Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty" by Benjamin Franklin Stephenson, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died.
Linking men through their experience of the war, the GAR became among the first organized advocacy group in American politics, supporting voting rights for black veterans, lobbying the US Congress to establish veterans' pensions, and supporting Republican political candidates. Its peak membership, at more than 400,000, was in 1890. It was succeeded by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), composed of male descendants of Union veterans.
The GAR initially grew and prospered as a de facto political arm of the Republican Party during the heated political contests of the Reconstruction era. The commemoration of Union veterans, black and white, immediately became entwined with partisan politics. When the Republican Party's commitment to reform in the South gradually decreased, the GAR's mission became ill-defined and the organization floundered. The GAR almost disappeared in the early 1870s, and many divisions ceased to exist.
In the 1880s, the organization revived under new leadership that provided a platform for renewed growth, by advocating federal pensions for veterans. As the organization revived, black veterans joined in significant numbers and organized local posts. The national organization, however, failed to press the case for pensions for black soldiers. Most black troops never received any pension or remuneration for wounds incurred during their service.
The GAR was organized into "Departments" at the state level and "Posts" at the community level, and military-style uniforms were worn by its members. There were posts in every state in the U.S., and several posts overseas.
Commanders-in-Chief were elected by the membership at the National Encampments for one year terms. Several Commanders-in-Chief were re-elected for additional terms.
Grand Army of the Republic commanders-in chief Image Name Term start Term end Homedepartment Notes Benjamin F. Stephenson 1866 1866 Illinois Founder and provisional Commander-in-Chief, April 6-November 21, 1866. Stephen Augustus Hurlbut 1866 1868 Illinois John Alexander Logan 1868 1871 Illinois Issued General Order No. 11 on May 5, 1868 designating Decoration Day as May 30. It ultimately became a national holiday and today is known as Memorial Day, the final Monday in the month of May. Ambrose Everett Burnside 1871 1873 Rhode Island Charles Devens 1873 1875 Massachusetts John Frederick Hartranft 1875 1877 Pennsylvania John Cleveland Robinson 1877 1879 New York William Earnshaw 1879 1880 Ohio Louis Wagner 1880 1881 Pennsylvania George Sargent Merrill 1881 1882 Massachusetts Paul Vandervoort 1882 1883 Nebraska First enlisted man to be elected Commander-in-Chief. National Woman's Relief Corps recognized as an official auxiliary to the G.A.R. during his term. Robert Burns Beath 1883 1884 Pennsylvania John S. Kountz 1884 1885 Ohio Samuel Swinfin Burdett 1885 1886 Washington, DC Lucius Fairchild 1886 1887 Wisconsin John Patterson Rea 1887 1888 Minnesota William Warner 1888 1889 Missouri Russell Alexander Alger 1889 1890 Michigan Wheelock Graves Veazey 1890 1891 Vermont Peak membership of the GAR: 409,489. John Palmer 1891 1892 New York Augustus Gordon Weissert 1892 1893 Wisconsin John Gregory Bishop Adams 1893 1894 Massachusetts Thomas G. Lawler 1894 1895 Illinois Ivan N. Walker 1895 1896 Indiana Thaddeus Stevens Clarkson 1896 1897 Nebraska John Peter Shindel Gobin 1897 1898 Pennsylvania James Andrew Sexton 1898 1899 Illinois Died in office, February 5, 1899. William Christie Johnson 1899 1899 Ohio Albert Duane Shaw 1899 1900 New York Leo Rassieur 1900 1901 Missouri Eliakim "Ell" Torrance 1901 1902 Minnesota Thomas Jameson Stewart 1902 1903 Pennsylvania John Charles Black 1903 1904 Illinois Wilmon Whilldin Blackmar 1904 1905 Massachusetts Died in office, July 19, 1905. John Rigdon King 1905 1905 Maryland James R. Tanner 1905 1906 New York Robert Burns Brown 1906 1907 Ohio Charles Germman Burton 1907 1908 Missouri Henry Martin Nevius 1908 1909 New Jersey Samuel Rinnah Van Sant 1909 1910 Minnesota John Edward Gilman 1910 1911 Massachusetts Harvey Marion Trimble 1911 1912 Illinois Alfred Bishop Beers 1912 1913 Connecticut Washington Gardner 1913 1914 Michigan David James Palmer 1914 1915 Iowa Elias Riggs Monfort 1915 1916 Ohio William James Patterson 1916 1917 Pennsylvania Orlando Allen Somers 1917 1918 Indiana Clarendon E. Adams 1918 1919 Nebraska James David Bell 1919 1920 New York Died in office, November 1, 1919. Daniel Munson Hall 1920 1920 Ohio William Alexander Ketcham 1920 1921 Indiana Lewis Stephen Pilcher 1921 1922 New York James William Willett 1922 1923 Iowa Gaylord Miller Saltzgaber 1923 1924 Ohio Louis Frederick Arensberg 1924 1925 Iowa John Baptist Inman 1925 1926 Illinois Francis Augustin "Frank" Walsh 1926 1927 Wisconsin Elbridge Lafayette Hawk 1927 1928 California John Reese 1928 1929 Nebraska Edwin J. Foster 1929 1930 Massachusetts James E. Jewel 1930 1931 Colorado Samuel P. Town 1931 1932 Pennsylvania William Parkinson Wright 1932 1933 Illinois Died in office, June 15, 1933. Russell C. Martin 1933 1934 California Alfred Edwin Stacey 1934 1935 New York Oley Nelson 1935 1936 Iowa Carl Henry William Ruhe 1936 1937 Pennsylvania Overton H. Mennet 1937 1938 California Robert McKee Rownd 1938 1939 New York John E. Andrew 1940 1940 Illinois Died in office, June 30, 1940. Alexander T. Anderson 1940 1940 Pennsylvania William Washington Nixon 1940 1941 Kansas George Alvin Gay 1941 1942 New Hampshire John Simon Dumser 1942 1943 California George H. Jones 1943 1944 Maine Isaac W. Sharp 1944 1945 Indiana Hiram R. Gale 1945 1946 Washington John Henry Grate 1946 1947 Ohio Robert McKee Rownd 1947 1948 New York Theodore A. Penland 1948 1949 Oregon Last Commander-in-Chief. Died in office, September 13, 1950.
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