Charles T. Menoher

Major General Charles Thomas Menoher (March 20, 1862 – August 11, 1930) was a U.S. Army general, first Chief of the United States Army Air Service from 1918 to 1921, and commanded the U.S. Army Hawaiian Department from 1924 to 1925.

Charles T. Menoher
Major General Charles T. Menoher
Born(1862-03-20)March 20, 1862
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
DiedAugust 11, 1930(1930-08-11) (aged 68)
Washington, D.C.
Place of burial
Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service1886–1926
Rank Major General
Commands held42nd Infantry Division
VI Corps
US Army Air Service
Hawaiian Department
IX Corps
Battles/warsSpanish–American War, World War I
AwardsDistinguished Service Medal

Early life

The son of a Civil War veteran, Menoher was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1862 and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1886 with a commission as an artillery officer.[1]

Military career

Menoher served in Cuba and the Philippines during the Spanish–American War. He later graduated from the Army War College and was selected for the original General Staff Corps, where he served from 1903 to 1907. He was commander of the 5th Field Artillery Regiment from 1916 to 1917.[1]

Portrait of Charles T. Menoher

On December 19, 1917, Major General Menoher, who had been a classmate of General John J. Pershing at West Point and was an experienced officer of the field artillery, assumed command of the 42nd Division, Rainbow Division, in France during World War I.[2] Menoher participated in the Champagne-Marne offensive and in the successful Allied offensives of Saint Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne. Menoher was succeeded by General Douglas MacArthur in this position.[3] At war's end, Menoher commanded the VI Corps (United States)[3] and received the Distinguished Service Medal,[4] along with foreign awards from France, Belgium, and Italy.[3]

Following World War I, Menoher became first Director and then Chief of Air Service, where he began a famous (and ultimately losing) conflict with his Assistant Chief, Brigadier General Billy Mitchell.[5] He was promoted to major general in March 1921. Requesting an assignment with troops, Menoher then took command of the Hawaiian Division in 1922 before taking over the entire Hawaiian Department. After this, he commanded the IX Corps Area in San Francisco until his mandatory retirement on March 20, 1926.[1]

Personal life

He married Nannie Pearson. They had four sons: Charles, Pearson, Darrow, and William.[1][3] His three youngest sons all graduated from West Point, and served in the Army during World War II. Pearson (1892–1958), a classmate of Dwight D. Eisenhower, reached the rank of Major General during the Korean War.

Menoher later married Elizabeth Painter.[3]

Death and legacy

Menoher died on August 11, 1930.[1] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia.[6]

Menoher Boulevard, a major road in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is named after him.[7]

Dates of rank
InsigniaRankComponentDate
NoneCadetUnited States Military Academy1 July 1882
None in 1886Second LieutenantRegular Army1 July 1886
First LieutenantRegular Army23 December 1892
CaptainRegular Army2 February 1901
MajorRegular Army25 January 1907
Lieutenant ColonelRegular Army26 May 1911
ColonelRegular Army1 July 1916
Brigadier GeneralNational Army5 August 1917
Major GeneralNational Army28 November 1917
(Reverted to Brigadier General on 15 February 1919.)
Brigadier GeneralRegular Army7 November 1918
Major GeneralTemporary3 July 1920
Major GeneralRegular Army8 March 1921
Major GeneralRetired List20 March 1926

[8]

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document: "".

  1. Davis Jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. pp. 267–68. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.
  2. James, D. Clayton (1 October 1970). The Years of MacArthur Volume 1 1880-1941 (1st ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 148. ISBN 978-0395109489. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  3. Who Was Who in American History – the Military. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1975. p. 380. ISBN 0837932017.
  4. "Valor awards for Charles Thomas Menoher".
  5. Clodfelter, Mark A. , 'Molding Air Power Convictions: Development and Legacy of William Mitchell's Strategic Thought', in Melinger, Phillip S. ed., The Paths of Heaven: The Evolution of Air Power Theory, Alabama, Air University Press, 1997, 79–114, p. 91
  6. "Burial Detail: Menoher, Charles Thomas (Section 3, Grave 1993)". ANC Explorer. Arlington National Cemetery. (Official website).
  7. https://www.tribdem.com/news/great-war-changed-everything-johnstown-region-gave-much-to-global/article_a0599374-e42a-11e8-9d42-d75ce3febe21.html
  8. Official Register of Commissioned Officers of the United States Army. 1927. p. 772.
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