The Adjutant General of Connecticut is the highest-ranking military officer in the Armed Forces of the State of Connecticut which includes the Connecticut National Guard, the four units of the Governor's Guards, the Connecticut State Guard, the Connecticut State Guard Reserve and the Connecticut Naval Militia. The current Adjutant General is Major General Francis J. Evon, Jr. He was appointed to a four-year term effective July 1, 2018.

Appointment The Governor of the State of Connecticut appoints the Adjutant General to a four-year term beginning on July 1 in the same year of the state's gubernatorial election. The Adjutant General is required to have a minimum of fifteen years of commissioned service in the Armed Forces of the United States and have obtained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel or Commander. The Adjutant General can have served in any branch of the United States military and there is no requirement that they must have served in the National Guard. The Adjutant General can not be appointed or continue to serve once they have reached the age of sixty-four.Connecticut General Statutes Section 27-19

History On May 11, 1637, the General Courts of the Connecticut Colony established a military arm of the government. This organization was the forerunner to the Connecticut Military Department in which its head is the Adjutant General.Connecticut State Library, Military Department History The position of Adjutant General was first officially established within Connecticut Law in 1784. "And be it further enacted that there shall be from Time to Time appointed, as may be necessary, by Warrant one Adjutant General over the whole Militia of this State.' Connecticut Acts & Laws, 1784 pertaining to Militia Originally there was no requirement of prior military service. In 1796, the Connecticut Acts & Laws were further update in accordance with national law in which the duties of the Adjutant General were defined to be to distribute all orders from the Commander-in-Chief of the state to the several Corps and to attend all public reviews where the Commander-in-Chief of the state will review the militia.Connecticut Acts & Laws, 1796 pertaining to Militia In 1939, the Military Department was established in order to consolidate all armed forces of the state under the Adjutant General. This included the units of the Governor's Guards and Naval Militia as well as the National Guard.Chapter 345 of Connecticut Public Acts - 1939 The Connecticut Office of Civil Defense was established in 1959 and became a subordinate agency of the Connecticut Military Department under the authority of the Adjutant General to respond to natural disasters, civil disturbances and other events. The office was renamed in 1973 to the Office of Civil Preparedness and in 1979, both organizations became subordinate to the Department of Public Safety, the agency which also included the State Police.Public Acts 59-333, 73-544 & 79-614 The Adjutant General regained authority of the Office of Civil Preparedness in 1999, which was renamed the Office of Emergency Management in 1988.Public Act 99-190 This was short-lived as in 2004 the Adjutant General once again lost authority over the Office of Emergency Management which was merged into a new state agency, the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.Public Act 04-219 The Adjutant General still maintains responsibility for readying the National Guard to respond to domestic issues as required by the Governor, but works in coordination with the now Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, which has primary responsibility for planning and responding to natural disasters and other domestic responses.

List of Adjutants General of the State of Connecticut TermName1782–1791 John Keyes1792–1822 Ebenezer Huntington1823–1834 George Cowles1835–1836 William Hayden1837–1839 Samuel L. Pitkin1840–1845 Charles T. Hillyer1846–1847 James T. Pratt1848–1851 George P. Shelton1852–1853 Elihu W.N. Starr1854–1855 John C. Hollister1855 Justin Hodge1855–1862 Joseph D. Williams1863–1865 Horace J. Morse1866–1867 Charles T. Stanton1867–1868 Colin M. Ingersoll1869–1870 Samuel E. Merwin, Jr.1870–1871 Colin M. Ingersoll1871–1872 Samuel E. Merwin, Jr.1873–1876 William P. Trowbridge1877–1878 William B. Franklin1879–1880 Edward Harland1881–1882 George M. Harmon1883–1884 Darius N. Couch1885–1886 Stephen R. Smith1887–1888 Frederick E. Camp1889–1890 Lucius A. Barbour1890–1892 Andrew H. Embler1893–1894 Edward E. Bradley1895–1896 Charles P. Graham1897–1899 George Haven1899–1900 Louis N. VanKeuren1901–1929 George M. Cole1930–1939 William F. Ladd1939–1947 Reginald B. DeLacour1948–1962 Frederick G. Reincke1963–1972 E. Donald Walsh1972–1982 John F. Freund1982–1985 John F. Gore1985–1992 John T. Gereski1992–1999 David W. Gay1999–2005 William A. Cugno2005–2018 Thaddeus J. Martin2018–Present Francis J. Evon, Jr.

References

See also

Connecticut National Guard Current State Adjutants General