List of United States Marine Corps lieutenant generals on active duty before 1960

This is a complete list of United States Marine Corps lieutenant generals on active duty before 1960. The grade of lieutenant general (or three-star general) is the second-highest in the Marine Corps, ranking above major general (two-star general) and below general (four-star general).

The active-duty rank of lieutenant general was first granted to the commandant of the Marine Corps in January 1942, shortly after the United States entered World War II. A second lieutenant general was appointed in July 1943 to oversee Marines operating in the Pacific theater, and by 1960 there were five lieutenant generals on active duty. Many major generals received honorary tombstone promotions to lieutenant general when they retired, having been specially commended for performance of duty in actual combat before the end of World War II, but most never served in that grade while on active duty. Tombstone promotions were abolished effective November 1, 1959.

Taxonomy A permanent lieutenant general was an officer who held the permanent grade of lieutenant general personally, regardless of assignment. Appointments to this permanent grade were made only on the retired list. A temporary lieutenant general was an officer who held the temporary grade of lieutenant general under some condition, such as while serving in a particular job or for the duration of the World War II national emergency, reverting to a lower permanent grade when the condition was over. A commandant of the Marine Corps with rank of lieutenant general was an officer who held the ex officio rank of lieutenant general while serving as commandant of the Marine Corps between 1942 and 1945. A tombstone lieutenant general was a major general who retired with the rank but not the pay of the next higher grade as a reward for being specially commended for the performance of duty in actual combat before the end of World War II. Most such officers never served as lieutenant generals while on active duty. Tombstone promotions were abolished in 1959.

List of U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant generals on active duty before 1960

The following list of lieutenant generals includes all officers of the United States Marine Corps who served on active duty in that rank before January 1, 1960, including officers who received a tombstone promotion to lieutenant general if they were recalled to active duty in that rank.The list of lieutenant generals is taken from the Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps.

Entries are indexed by the numerical order in which each officer was appointed to that rank while on active duty. Each entry lists the officer's name, date appointed,Dates of rank are taken from the Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. date the officer vacated the active-duty rank,Dates vacated are taken from the Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. An officer could vacate the active-duty rank of lieutenant general via death, retirement, resignation, promotion to a higher permanent grade, or reversion to a lower permanent grade upon relinquishing an office bearing the statutory rank of lieutenant general. number of years on active duty as lieutenant general (Yrs),The number of years on active duty as lieutenant general is taken to be the difference between the officer's date of rank and the date on which his active duty commission as lieutenant general was vacated, rounded to the nearest whole year. positions held as lieutenant general, and other biographical notes.Biographical notes include years of birth and death; dates of promotion to higher permanent grade; and other unusual career events such as death in office or resignation. Dates are taken from the Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps.

Italics denote active duty as lieutenant general while on the retired list.

The list is sortable by active-duty appointment order, last name, date appointed, date vacated, and number of years on active duty as lieutenant general.

Name Photo Date appointed Date vacated Yrs Position Notes      Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1942–1943. (1879–1965)Retired as tombstone general, 1 Jan 1944; recalled to active duty as general, 1 Jan 1944–10 Apr 1944. Major General Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1 Dec 1936–20 Jan 1942; retired as general, 1 Jan 1944.      Commanding General, I Marine Amphibious Corps, 1943. Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1944–1947. (1887–1973) Commandant of the Marine Corps, with rank of general, 21 Mar 1945–31 Dec 1947. Awarded Medal of Honor, 1943.      Commanding General, V Amphibious Corps, 1943–1944. Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, 1944–1945. Commanding General, Marine Training and Replacement Command, 1945–1946. (1882–1967)Retired as tombstone general. Retired as general, 1 Aug 1946.      Commanding General, Tenth Army, 1945. Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, 1945–1946. (1885–1947) Died in office, 23 Jan 1947; promoted posthumously to general.      Deputy Commander, Marine Training and Replacement Command, 1946. Commanding General, Marine Training and Replacement Command, 1946–1948. (1886–1968) Retired as general, 1 Jul 1948.      Assistant to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1945–1946. Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, 1946–1948. (1891–1971) Retired as general, 1 Jan 1948.      Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, 1947–1949. (1888–1970)Reverted to major general, 1 Jul 1949; retired as lieutenant general, 1 Sep 1950.      Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, 1948–1950. (1892–1966)Reverted to major general, 24 Apr 1950; retired as lieutenant general, 1 Jul 1950.      Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, 1949–1951. (1892–1968) Retired as general, 1 Jul 1951. 10      Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, 1950–1952. (1896–1990)Retired as general, 1 Jan 1956; recalled to active duty as general, 1 Mar 1956–15 Sep 1959. Commandant of the Marine Corps, with rank of general, 1 Jan 1952–31 Dec 1955. 11      Commandant, Marine Corps Schools, 1950–1952. Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, 1952–1954. (1894–1967) Retired as general, 1 Aug 1954. 12      Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps/Chief of Staff, Headquarters Marine Corps, 1950–1952. (1896–1985)Reverted to major general, 1 Feb 1952; retired as lieutenant general, 1 Jul 1954. *      Chief of Staff, United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, 1948–1953. (1897–1970)Retired as tombstone lieutenant general, 1 Jun 1951; recalled to active duty as lieutenant general, 1 Jun 1951–23 Jun 1953. 13      Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, 1951–1953. (1897–1973) Retired as general, 1 Jul 1953. 14      Commandant, Marine Corps Schools, 1952–1954. (1893–1970) Commandant of the Marine Corps, with rank of general, 1 Jan 1948–31 Dec 1951; retired as general, 30 Jun 1954. 15      Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps/Chief of Staff, Headquarters Marine Corps, 1952–1954. Commandant, Marine Corps Schools, 1954–1956. (1894–1984)Retired as tombstone general, 1 Jan 1956; recalled to active duty as general, 1 Apr 1956–1 Jan 1959. Retired as general, 1 Jan 1956. 16      Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, 1953–1955. (1893–1977) Retired as general, 1 Sep 1955. 17      Assistant Commandant for Air, U.S. Marine Corps/Director of Aviation/Assistant Chief of Naval Operations for Marine Aviation, 1952–1955. Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, 1955–1956. (1898–1972) Retired as general, 1 Sep 1956. 18      Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps/Chief of Staff, Headquarters Marine Corps, 1954–1956. (1898–1961) Commandant of the Marine Corps, with rank of general, 1 Jan 1956–31 Dec 1959. 19                  Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, 1954–1955. Member, Ad Hoc Committee to Study and Revise the Officer Personnel Act of 1947, 1960–1961. Senior Member, Headquarters Marine Corps Reorganization Board, 1961. Member, Gorham Military Pay Study Group, 1962–1963. Chairman, Woman Marine Program Study Group, 1964. (1895–1968)Reverted to major general, 9 Sep 1955; retired as lieutenant general, 1 May 1957; recalled to active duty as lieutenant general, Jul 1960–Aug 1961, Feb 1962–Jul 1963, and Aug 1964–Nov 1964. 20      Assistant Commandant for Air, U.S. Marine Corps/Director of Aviation/Assistant Chief of Naval Operations for Marine Aviation, 1955–1957. (1895–1987) Retired as general, 1 Apr 1957. Awarded Medal of Honor, 1928. 21      Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, 1955–1956. (1894–1983) Retired as general, 1 Nov 1956. 22      Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps/Chief of Staff, Headquarters Marine Corps, 1956–1957. Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, 1957–1959. (1900–1992) Retired as general, 1 Nov 1959. 23      Commandant, Marine Corps Schools, 1956. Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, 1956–1957. Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, 1957–1959. (1899–1982) Retired as general, 1 Nov 1959. 24      Commandant, Marine Corps Schools, 1956–1959. (1902–1996) Retired as general, 31 Oct 1959. 25      Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, 1956–1957. (1896–1976) Retired as general, 1 Nov 1957. 26      Assistant Commandant for Air, U.S. Marine Corps/Director of Aviation/Assistant Chief of Naval Operations for Marine Aviation, 1957. Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1957–1960. (1903–1968) 27      Chief of Staff, Headquarters Marine Corps, 1957–1959. (1902–1993) Retired as general, 30 Oct 1959. 28      Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, 1959–1961. (1902–1982) 29      Commandant, Marine Corps Schools, 1959–1963. (1903–1995) 30      Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, 1959–1961. (1903–1984) 31      Chief of Staff, Headquarters Marine Corps, 1959–1960. (1904–1983) Commandant of the Marine Corps, with rank of general, 1 Jan 1960–31 Dec 1963. Awarded Medal of Honor, 1943.

Timeline An officer held the active-duty grade of lieutenant general (Lt. Gen.) in the U.S. Marine Corps until his death, retirement, reversion to lower permanent grade upon vacating a position carrying the ex officio rank, or promotion to general (Gen.). An officer on the retired list could also be recalled to active duty in the grade of lieutenant general (Lt. Gen. (ret.)) or general (Gen. (ret.)).

By 1960, there were five ex officio lieutenant generals. Two commanded the Fleet Marine Forces in the Pacific (FMFPAC) and Atlantic (FMFLANT), and a third commanded the Marine Corps Schools (MCS). A fourth served as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps (ACMC) and the fifth was assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) as director of aviation or chief of staff.

History

World War I

The rank of lieutenant general in the Marine Corps was first proposed in 1918, when the Senate Naval Affairs Committee tried to increase the rank of the major general commandant and his three senior staff officers for the duration of World War I. Instigated by the incumbent commandant, George Barnett, the proposal was blocked by Navy secretary Josephus Daniels and House Naval Affairs Committee member Thomas S. Butler, who was outraged that the headquarters staff would gain a lieutenant general commandant and three major generals at a time when no Marine major generals were deployed in the field. The incident contributed to Daniels' decision to remove Barnett midway through his second term as commandant.