Erasmus Morgan Weaver Jr. (May 23, 1854 – November 13, 1920) was a United States Army major general who served as the first chief of the Militia Bureau and the Chief of the Army's Coast Artillery Corps.
Biography The son of Erasmus M. Weaver, a prominent businessman of Lafayette, Indiana, Erasmus Morgan Weaver Jr. was born in Lafayette on 23 May 1854. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1875 and received his commission as a second lieutenant of Artillery.Henry Blaine Davis Jr., Generals in Khaki, 1998, page 373
Weaver's subsequent assignments included Professor of Military Science at Western Reserve UniversityUnited States Military Academy Association of Graduates, Annual Report, 1921, pages 126 to 128 and The Citadel (1883–1885),John Peyre Thomas, The History of the South Carolina Military Academy, 1893, page 360 and Instructor in Chemistry and Electricity at the United States Military Academy (1888–1891).George Washington Cullum, United States Military Academy Association of Graduates, Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, Volume 4, 1901, page 8
From 1895 to 1896, Weaver studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Technology Review, Volume 23, 1921, page 82J.T. White, Inc., The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume 20, 1927, page 123
In 1898, Weaver was appointed to the temporary grade of lieutenant colonel of the 5th Massachusetts Infantry, a volunteer regiment raised during the Spanish–American War. Initially the organization's mustering officer, he subsequently commanded its 1st Battalion.Massachusetts Secretary of State, Public Documents of Massachusetts, Volume 10, 1899, page 155George Washington Cullum, Edward Singleton Holden, Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, Volume 4, page 254
From 1908 to 1911, Weaver served as a head of the Army's Militia Bureau, he was the first person to hold the position. In this assignment, he was responsible for overseeing the training and readiness of the National Guard.United States Infantry Association, Infantry Journal, Volume 5, 1908, page 292
Weaver was the Chief of the Coast Artillery Corps from 1911 until his retirement in 1918, when he was succeeded by Frank W. Coe. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1911 and major general in 1916. From 1917 until his retirement, he also served as a member of the War Council that the War Department created to oversee planning for World War I.Facts on File, Inc., The World Almanac & Book of Facts, 1914, page 397George Washington Cullum, Edward Singleton Holden, Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, 1920, Volume VI-A, page 201
Weaver died in Washington, D.C., on November 13, 1920.U.S. Army Artillery School, U.S. Army Coast Artillery School, Journal of the United States Artillery, Volume 53, 1920, page 556 He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Section SE, Site 1800.U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Nationwide Gravesite Locator
General Weaver was the father of Major General Walter Reed Weaver (1885–1944).George Washington Cullum, United States Military Academy Association of Graduates, Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, 1920, Volume VI-B, page 1404
Hawaii's Fort Weaver and Fort Weaver Road were named for him.Prescott Evening Courier, "Forts Named in Honor of Dead in War", Associated Press, May 30, 1922
References
Sources "General Weaver Retires", The New York Times, May 22, 1918