Arthur MacArthur Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 3rdMilitary Governor of the Philippines | |
| In office May 5, 1900 – July 4, 1901 | |
| President | William McKinley |
| Preceded by | Elwell Stephen Otis |
| Succeeded by | William Howard Taft (asGovernor-General of the Philippines) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1845-06-02)June 2, 1845 Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | September 5, 1912(1912-09-05) (aged 67) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Arthur III • Malcolm •Douglas |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives |
|
| Signature |  |
| Nickname | The Boy Colonel |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service |
|
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Unit | |
| Commands |
|
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Arthur MacArthur Jr. (June 2, 1845 – September 5, 1912) was alieutenant general of theUnited States Army. He became the militaryGovernor-General of the American-occupiedPhilippines in 1900; his term ended a year later due to clashes with the civilian governor, future-U.S. PresidentWilliam Howard Taft.
His son,Douglas MacArthur, was one of only five men promoted to thefive-star rank ofGeneral of the Army duringWorld War II. In addition to their both being promoted to the rank of general officer, Arthur MacArthur Jr. and Douglas MacArthur also share the distinction of having been the first father and son to each be awarded aMedal of Honor.
MacArthur was born inChicopee Falls, Massachusetts. His father wasArthur MacArthur Sr., aScottish-born American lawyer, judge and politician who served as the fourthGovernor of Wisconsin (albeit for only four days), a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge inMilwaukee, and an Associate Justice on theSupreme Court of the District of Columbia.[1][2]
His mother was Aurelia Belcher (1819–1864), the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Benjamin B. Belcher.[3] From his parents' marriage, he had one brother, Frank.[4] After his mother's death in 1864, his father remarried to Mary E. Willcut.[5]
At the outbreak of the Civil War, MacArthur's father attempted to secure him an appointment to theUnited States Military Academy, even so far as having a Wisconsin Senator take young MacArthur to appeal to President Abraham Lincoln at the White House, but was unsuccessful as all the available slots were filled.[6]
On August 4, 1862, his father secured a commission for him as a first lieutenant and appointed as adjutant of the24th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, seeing action atChickamauga,Stones River,Chattanooga, theAtlanta Campaign andFranklin.
At theBattle of Missionary Ridge on November 25, 1863, during theChattanooga Campaign, the 18-year-old MacArthur inspired his regiment during a largely uncoordinated and spontaneous frontal assault of Union forces against entrenched Confederate forces on a hilltop. During the charge the regimental flags were carried in front, so that every flag-bearer was constantly a target, causing immense casualty among them. MacArthur seized the flag from a fallen comrade and planted the regimental flag on the crest of Missionary Ridge35°1′7.15″N85°15′51.02″W / 35.0186528°N 85.2641722°W /35.0186528; -85.2641722 at a particularly critical moment, shouting"On, Wisconsin." For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. He wasbrevettedcolonel in theUnion Army the following year. Only 19 years old at the time, he became nationally recognized as "The Boy Colonel" (not to be confused withHenry K. Burgwyn, known as the"Boy Colonel of the Confederacy").
MacArthur was severely wounded in theBattle of Franklin, receiving bullet wounds to the chest and leg from a rebel officer's pistol, but would ultimately survive.[7]
On January 25, 1864, he was promoted to major and about a year and a half later, on May 18, 1865, to lieutenant colonel – shortly before he was mustered out of service on June 10, 1865. In recognition of his gallantry in action he received brevets (honorary promotions) to lieutenant colonel and colonel dated March 15, 1865.
With the conclusion of the Civil War in June 1865, MacArthur resigned his commission and began the study of law. After just a few months, however, he decided this was not a good fit for him, so he resumed his career with the Army. He was recommissioned on February 23, 1866, as asecond lieutenant in theRegular Army's17th Infantry Regiment, with a promotion the following day tofirst lieutenant. Because of his outstanding record of performance during the Civil War, he was promoted in September of that year tocaptain. However, he would remain a captain for the following two decades, as promotion was slow in the small peacetime army.
Between 1866 and 1884, MacArthur completed assignments inPennsylvania,New York,Utah Territory,Louisiana, andArkansas.[8]
In 1884, MacArthur became the post commander ofFort Selden, inNew Mexico. The following year, he took part in the campaign againstGeronimo. In 1889, he was promoted toAssistant Adjutant General of the Army with the rank ofmajor, and was promoted tolieutenant colonel in 1897.
Following the outbreak of theSpanish–American War, MacArthur was serving as theadjutant general of theThird Army Corps inGeorgia.[9] In June 1898 he was brevetted tobrigadier general in thevolunteer army. He was appointed as commanding general of the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division,Eighth Army Corps and led it to victory at theBattle of Manila on August 12, 1898. He was promoted to major general on August 13, 1898.
He led the 2nd Division of Eighth Corps during thePhilippine–American War at theBattle of Manila (1899), the Malolos campaign and the Northern Offensive. When the American occupation of the Philippines turned from conventional battles toguerrilla warfare, MacArthur commanded the Department of Northern Luzon. In January 1900, he was appointedbrigadier general in the Regular Army and was appointed military governor of thePhilippines with command of Eighth Corps, replacing GeneralElwell S. Otis.
He authorized the expedition, under GeneralFrederick Funston, that resulted in the capture ofEmilio Aguinaldo. MacArthur persuaded the captured Aguinaldo to cease fighting and to swear allegiance to the United States. He was promoted tomajor general in the Regular Army on February 5, 1901.
During the war,PresidentWilliam McKinley relievedMajor GeneralElwell S. Otis of command and replaced him with MacArthur giving him the title ofMilitary Governor of the Philippines on May 6, 1900.[10] However,William Howard Taft was appointed to head thePhilippine Commission by McKinley and arrived toManila in June 1900 to effect the transition from military to civil government.[11] MacArthur firmly opposed the timing of direct involvement by thePhilippine Commission as he did not believe thePhilippines was ready for civil rule yet.[11] Both Taft and MacArthur, in separate correspondences, informedSecretary of War,Elihu Root, of the contention between each other and their differing views on the future of thePhilippines.[12] On February 27, 1901, shortly after promoting MacArthur to the rank ofmajor general, SecretaryRoot informedMajor GeneralAdna R. Chaffee that he would succeed MacArthur as military governor in thePhilippines. However, Chaffee would be subordinate toWilliam Howard Taft, who would be appointed asCivilian Governor.[13]
On June 21, 1901,Root's War Department informed MacArthur thatChaffee was to replace him asmilitary head in thePhilippines with the change to take place on July 4, 1901.[13]Taft decided, "four, possibly five and two small parts of others", of the 27 organized provinces across the Philippines (16 additional provinces remained unorganized at the end of 1900), "in which armed insurrection continues, will remain under the executive jurisdiction of the military governor and commanding general".[14] The contentiousness betweenTaft and MacArthur seemed all too apparent asTaft stated publicly that neither his approach of municipal code nor the provincial government act under bothOtis and MacArthur would form a perfect government, "though it was possible to make the former much more complete than the latter".[14]Taft further distanced himself and work by characterizing prior military efforts as "two experiments in municipal government under the administrations of GeneralOtis and General MacArthur before the [Philippine]Commission began its legislative work".[14]
After the combined ceremony installingTaft and change of command from MacArthur to Chaffee on July 4, 1901, MacArthur packed his bags that same day and boarded a ship for the United States.[15]
In the several years that followed, he was assigned to serve at various times as commander of the Department of the Colorado, the Lakes, the East, and eventually thePacific Division.[15] When theRusso-Japanese War exploded in early 1904, eight American officers were promptly sent to the Manchurian front asobservers.[16] Chafing at the bit at his headquarters inFort Mason,San Francisco, MacArthur requested that he also be assigned as amilitary observer upon hearing of the outbreak of war betweenRussia andJapan in 1904.[16] He finally secured the appointment, but arrived inManchuria in mid-March, 1905, just after the major fighting had ended with the Japanese triumph at theBattle of Mukden.[16] When thePortsmouth Peace Conference was convened in August, MacArthur was sent toTokyo asmilitary attaché to the Americanlegation.[16]
DuringSecretary of WarWilliam Howard Taft's 1905 trip toJapan,Taft also met with MacArthur, as he was now theUnited Statesmilitary attaché toJapan, inYokohama (likely at theOriental Palace Hotel where MacArthur and his wife, Mrs. "Pinky" MacArthur, were staying[17]). In the course of this meeting, it was decided1st LieutenantDouglas MacArthur would replaceCaptain Paul W. West as Maj. Gen. MacArthur'saide-de-camp and accompany him on a 'reconnaissance mission' to various Asian countries from November 1, 1905, through late June 1906 traveling over 20,000 miles (32,000 km), per Douglas MacArthur vouchers.[18]
On July 17, 1906, MacArthur, Mrs. MacArthur, and Douglas MacArthur sailed fromYokohama and arrived atSan Francisco to resume his post atFort Mason as Commander of thePacific Division.[19] In this capacity he was promoted tolieutenant general in September 1906, but though now the highest-ranking officer in the Army, was not elevated tochief of staff then or later.[20]Brigadier GeneralJ. Franklin Bell had been made the chief of staff while MacArthur was in Asia on April 14, 1906, and subsequently promoted tomajor general on 3 January 1907.[20]
In early 1907, MacArthur, after 47 years of devoted and distinguished service, was told byTaft's War Department that he had been passed over for chief of staff of the Army.[21] Instead of chief of staff, he was offered command of the Eastern department.[21] MacArthur refusedTaft's offer of commanding the Eastern department, stating that it would mean a humiliating reduction in authority for him.[21] MacArthur proposed that the War Department either accept his retirement or assign him to some "special duty" which would not be an affront to his honor.[21] Shortly thereafter, MacArthur received orders to 'proceed to Milwaukee, there to perform such duties as may hereafter be assigned', but no further duties were given to him.[21] Taft was inaugurated asPresident of the United States in March 1909, and MacArthur retired quietly from the Army on June 2, 1909.[21]
MacArthur never did realize his dream of commanding the entire Army. He was one of the last officers on active duty in the Army who had served in the Civil War.
MacArthur was elected a member of theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS) in 1868 and was assigned insignia number 648. On May 6, 1908, he was elected commander of the Wisconsin Commandery of MOLLUS. He was elected as the Order's senior vice commander in chief on October 18, 1911, and became the Order's commander in chief upon the death of Rear AdmiralGeorge W. Melville on March 17, 1912. He held the office until his own death six months later.
On May 19, 1875, MacArthur married Mary Pinkney "Pinky" Hardy (1852–1935), daughter of Thomas A. Hardy of Norfolk, Virginia.[22] Together, they had three children:[5]
OnSeptember 5, 1912, while addressing a reunion of the24th Wisconsin veterans inMilwaukee, MacArthur was suddenly and fatally stricken by anapoplectic attack (now known as astroke).[21][26] As MacArthur recounted "one of the most remarkable scouting expeditions of the war", he told his men, "Your indomitable courage...", then halted his speech with the words, "Comrades, I am too weak to go on". He sat back down and collapsed, dying moments later.[27] A young medical intern, serving as a waiter at the banquet, pronounced him dead on the platform.[21] Dr. William J. Cronyn, the Surgeon-General of the Grand Army of the Republic for the State of New York, and a veteran of the Civil War in the 30th Michigan, was also present and called Mrs. MacArthur but was unable to tell her of the General's death over the phone.[28]
Both Mrs. MacArthur and Major GeneralCharles King, a retired officer and close friend of MacArthur, carried out MacArthur's final wishes to not be dressed [buried] in his uniform and for the funeral service to be 'utterly devoid' of military display.[29] Except for MacArthur's two sons, the only active military officer present at the funeral was a solitarycolonel from a nearbyfort.[30] Finally, per MacArthur's final wishes, he was interred in acemetery in Milwaukee rather than inArlington National Cemetery.[30] He was originally buried in Milwaukee on Monday, September 7, 1912, but was moved to Section 2 Gravesite 856-A ofArlington National Cemetery in 1926. He is buried among other members of the family there, while his son Douglas chose to be buried inNorfolk, Virginia, the hometown of his mother, Mary Pinkney Hardy, and the site of the Hardy family home Riveredge.[22]
TheMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States prepared and printed a eulogy praising MacArthur's military record and extolling "his fervent patriotism, his unshaken loyalty, his silent and soldierly acceptance of conditions little looked for in view of his great services and exalted rank".[30]
For some reason, Mrs. MacArthur was only granted apension of merely $1,200.00/per year after MacArthur died September 5, 1912, whereas thewidows of all otherlieutenant generals were receiving $2,500.00/per year.[30][31] Mr.James Flanders, aMilwaukeeattorney and lifetime friend of MacArthur, led a long but successful fight to get Mrs. MacArthur's pension raised to the amount equal to thewidows of otherlieutenant generals.[30]William Howard Taft wasPresident of theUnited States at that time (March 1909 - March 1913),Elihu Root was aSenator forNew York at that time (March 1909 - March 1915), and theBureau of Pensions administered pensions for military personnel from 1832 to 1930. TheBureau of Pensions had two duties: (1) assess and either approve or deny claims, and (2) pay approved benefits. During that same time period, theBureau's workload was significantly being reduced due to the death of many Civil War pensioners in the early 1900s.
Rank and Organization:
Citation:
Seized the colors of his regiment at a critical moment and planted them on the captured works on the crest of Missionary Ridge.[32][33][34]
Just over eight decades later (1864–1945), his son, Douglas MacArthur, would also gain fame for leading U.S. forces to victory in thePhilippines. Arthur MacArthur Jr. andDouglas MacArthur were the first father and son ever to each be awarded aMedal of Honor. To date, the only other father and son to be given this honor are former presidentTheodore Roosevelt and his son,Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
Fort MacArthur, which protected the San Pedro, California, harbor from 1914 until 1974, was named after General Arthur MacArthur.Camp MacArthur, a World War I training camp inWaco, Texas, was also named for the General.[35]
One of MacArthur's fellow officers in the 24th Wisconsin was future United States SenatorJohn L. Mitchell, the father of controversial Army aviator Major GeneralBilly Mitchell. MacArthur's son, General Douglas MacArthur, was a member of the younger Mitchell's court martial in 1925.
The actor Tom Palmer (1912–1997) played Arthur MacArthur Jr. in the 1959 episode, "The Little Trooper", of thesyndicated televisionanthology series,Death Valley Days, hosted byStanley Andrews.Child actor Bryan Russell (1952–2016) played Arthur's four-year-old son, Douglas, the subject of the title of the episode, set at Fort Selden in the New Mexico Territory. Leonard Bremen (1915–1986) was cast as played Trooper Norkul, who takes a protective interest in young Douglas.[36]
| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
 | First lieutenant | 24th Wisconsin | August 24, 1856 |
 | Major | 24th Wisconsin | January 25, 1864 |
 | Brevet colonel | Volunteers | March 13, 1865 |
 | Lieutenant colonel | 24th Wisconsin | May 18, 1865 |
 | Second lieutenant | Regular Army | February 23, 1866 |
| First lieutenant | Regular Army | February 24, 1866 |
 | Captain | Regular Army | July 28, 1866 |
| Major | Regular Army | July 21, 1889 |
| Lieutenant colonel | Regular Army | May 26, 1896 |
 | Brigadier general | Volunteers | May 27, 1898 |
 | Major general | Volunteers | August 28, 1898 |
| Brigadier general | Regular Army | January 2, 1900 |
| Major general | Regular Army | February 5, 1901 |
 | Lieutenant general | Regular Army | September 15, 1906 |
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Military Governor of the Philippines May 5, 1900 – July 4, 1901 | Succeeded by |
Americangovernors-general of thePhilippines | ||
|---|---|---|
1898–1935 | ||
| Military government (1898–1902) | .svg) | |
| Insular Government (1901–1935) | ||
| ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
