List of United States Army Corps of Engineers Chiefs of Engineers

Last updated

Chief of Engineers of the
United States Army
Seal of the Office of the U.S. Army Chief of Engineers.png
Seal of the Office of the Chief of Engineers
Chief of Engineers Flag.png
Flag of the Chief of Engineers
William H. Graham (4).jpg
since 13 September 2024
Department of the Army
Reports to Secretary of the Army
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works)
Seat The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Term length Four years
Constituting instrument 10 U.S.C.   § 3036
FormationApril 1776
First holder LTC Rufus Putnam
Website Official website

The Chief of Engineers is a principal United States Army staff officer at The Pentagon. The Chief advises the Army on engineering matters, and serves as the Army's topographer and proponent for real estate and other related engineering programs. The Chief of Engineers is the senior service engineer for the Department of Defense, responsible for integrating all aspects of combat, general and geospatial engineering across the Joint Force.

Contents

The Chief of Engineers also commands the United States Army Corps of Engineers. As commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Chief of Engineers leads a major Army command that is the world's largest public engineering, design, and construction management agency. This office defines policy and guidance, and it plans direction for the organizations within the Corps. The Chief of Engineers is currently a lieutenant general billet but in the past has been held by field grade officers as low as major. Civilian oversight of the Chief of Engineers is provided by the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works).

A pair of golden castle pins, a graduation gift, was gifted to Major General Leif J. Sverdrup by General of the Army Douglas MacArthur in 1945, as MacArthur thought Sverdrup was more deserving to wear them. Sverdrup gave them to the Chief of Engineers in 1975. Every Chief of Engineers since then has worn MacArthur's pins.

Chiefs of Engineers

ImageRankNameBegin DateEnd DateNotes
Colonel Richard Gridley June 1775April 1776 [a]
PUTNAM exb.jpg Lieutenant colonel Rufus Putnam April 1776December 1776 [a]
Duportail exb.jpg Brigadier general Louis Lebègue Duportail 22 July 1777October, 10, 1783 [a]
Lieutenant colonel Stephen Rochefontaine 26 February 17957 May 1798 [a]
Burbeck.jpg Major Henry Burbeck 7 May 17981 April 1802 [a]
USACE Colonel Jonathan Williams.jpg Colonel Jonathan Williams 1 April 180220 June 1803 [a]
USACE Colonel Jonathan Williams.jpg Colonel Jonathan Williams 19 April 180531 July 1812 [a]
Colonel Joseph Gardner Swift.jpg Colonel Joseph Gardner Swift 31 July 181212 November 1818 [a]
Colonel Walker Keith Armistead.jpg Colonel Walker Keith Armistead 12 November 18181 June 1821 [a]
AlexanderMacomb.jpg Colonel Alexander Macomb 1 June 182124 May 1828 [a]
Colonel Charles Gratiot.jpg Colonel Charles Gratiot 24 May 18286 December 1838 [a]
Joseph Gilbert Totten.jpg Colonel Joseph Gilbert Totten 6 December 183822 April 1864 [a]
Richard Delafield.jpg Brigadier general Richard Delafield 22 April 18648 August 1866 [a]
Andrew A. Humphreys - Brady-Handy.jpg Brigadier general Andrew A. Humphreys 8 August 186630 June 1879 [a]
HGWright.jpg Brigadier general Horatio Gouverneur Wright 30 June 18796 March 1884 [a]
John Newton (ACW).jpg Brigadier general John Newton 6 March 188427 August 1886 [a]
James Chatham Duane.jpg Brigadier general James Chatham Duane 11 October 188630 June 1888 [a]
Thomas L. Casey, Sr. (3).png Brigadier general Thomas Lincoln Casey 6 July 188810 May 1895 [a]
William Price Craighill.jpg Brigadier general William Price Craighill 10 May 18951 February 1897 [a]
John Moulder Wilson.jpg Brigadier general John Moulder Wilson 1 February 189730 April 1901 [a]
Henry Martyn Robert.jpg Brigadier general Henry Martyn Robert 30 April 19012 May 1901 [a]
USACE John W Barlow.jpg Brigadier general John W. Barlow 2 May 19013 May 1901 [a]
USACE George Lewis Gillespie Jr.jpg Brigadier general George Lewis Gillespie Jr. 3 May 190123 January 1904 [a]
Alexander Mackenzie USACE.jpg Brigadier general Alexander Mackenzie 23 January 190425 May 1908 [a]
USACE William Louis Marshall.jpg Brigadier general William Louis Marshall 2 July 190811 June 1910 [a]
USACE William Herbert Bixby.jpg Brigadier general William Herbert Bixby 12 June 191011 August 1913 [a]
USACE William Trent Rossell.jpg Brigadier general William Trent Rossell 12 August 191311 October 1913 [a]
Dan Christie Kingman.jpg Brigadier general Dan Christie Kingman 12 October 19136 March 1916 [a]
USACE William Murray Black.jpg Major general William Murray Black 7 March 191631 October 1919 [a]
USACE Lansing Hoskins Beach.jpg Major general Lansing Hoskins Beach 10 February 192018 June 1924 [a]
USACE Harry Taylor.jpg Major general Harry Taylor 19 June 192426 June 1926 [a]
USACE Edgar Jadwin.jpg Major general Edgar Jadwin 27 June 19267 August 1929 [a]
USACE Lytle Brown.jpg Major general Lytle Brown 1 October 19291 October 1933 [a]
Edward Murphy Markham.jpg Major general Edward Murphy Markham 1 October 193318 October 1937 [a]
Julian Larcombe Schley.jpg Major general Julian Larcombe Schley 18 October 19371 October 1941 [a]
Eugene Reybold.jpg Lieutenant general Eugene Reybold 1 October 194130 September 1945 [a]
Raymond A. Wheeler.jpg Lieutenant general Raymond Albert Wheeler 4 October 194528 February 1949 [a]
Lewis A Pick.jpg Lieutenant general Lewis A. Pick 1 March 194926 January 1953 [a]
Sturgis SD LtGen.jpg Lieutenant general Samuel D. Sturgis Jr. 17 March 195330 September 1956 [a]
Emerson C Itschner.jpg Lieutenant general Emerson C. Itschner 1 October 195627 March 1961 [a]
Lt. Gen. Walter K. Wilson, Jr. (2).jpg Lieutenant general Walter K. Wilson Jr. 19 May 19611 July 1965 [a]
William F Cassidy.jpg Lieutenant general William F. Cassidy 1 July 196531 July 1969 [a]
Frederick clarke.jpg Lieutenant general Frederick J. Clarke 1 August 196931 July 1973 [a]
William Gribble.jpg Lieutenant general William C. Gribble Jr. 1 August 197330 June 1976 [a]
LTG John W. Morris.jpg Lieutenant general John W. Morris 1 July 197630 September 1980 [a]
LTG Joseph K. Bratton.jpg Lieutenant general Joseph K. Bratton 1 October 198014 September 1984 [a]
Lieutenant General (LGEN) Elvin R. Heiberg III (uncovered).jpg Lieutenant general Elvin R. Heiberg III 14 September 198431 May 1988 [a]
Lieutenant General Henry J. Hatch.jpg Lieutenant general Henry J. Hatch 17 June 19884 June 1992 [a]
Arthur E. Williams.JPEG Lieutenant general Arthur E. Williams 24 August 199230 June 1996 [a]
Portrait of U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joe N. Ballard, Chief of Engineers and Commander, US Army Corps of Engineers.jpg Lieutenant general Joe Nathan Ballard 1 October 19962 August 2000 [a]
Robert B Flowers.jpg Lieutenant general Robert B. Flowers 23 October 20001 July 2004 [a]
Portrait of LTG Carl A. Strock, 2007 (2) (cropped).jpg Lieutenant general Carl A. Strock 1 July 200417 May 2007 [a]
Robert L Van Antwerp.jpg Lieutenant general Robert L. Van Antwerp Jr. 17 May 200717 June 2011 [a]
MG Merdith W.B. (Bo) Temple.jpg Major general Merdith W.B. Temple 17 June 201122 May 2012 [a] [1]
ThomasPBostick-2012-05-07.jpg Lieutenant general Thomas P. Bostick 22 May 201219 May 2016 [a]
Todd T. Semonite (2).jpg Lieutenant general Todd T. Semonite 19 May 201610 September 2020 [a]
Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon (3).jpg Lieutenant general Scott A. Spellmon 10 September 202013 September 2024 [2]
William H. Graham (4).jpg Lieutenant general William H. Graham Jr. 13 September 2024present [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Distinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army)</span> United States Army military decoration

The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. The performance must be such as to merit recognition for service that is clearly exceptional. The exceptional performance of normal duty will not alone justify an award of this decoration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Corps of Engineers</span> Direct reporting unit and U.S. Armys branch for military engineering

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil works. USACE has 37,000 civilian and military personnel, making it one of the world's largest public engineering, design, and construction management agencies. The USACE workforce is approximately 97% civilian, 3% active duty military. The civilian workforce is primarily located in the United States, Europe and in select Middle East office locations. Civilians do not function as active duty military and are not required to be in active war and combat zones; however, volunteer opportunities do exist for civilians to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh John Casey</span> United States Army General

Hugh John "Pat" Casey CBE was a major general in the United States Army. A 1918 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Casey served in Germany during the Occupation of the Rhineland. He later returned to Germany to attend the Technische Hochschule in Berlin, earning a Doctor of Engineering degree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Forces in the Far East</span> Military unit

United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) was a military formation of the United States Army active from 1941 to 1946. The new command's headquarters was created on 26 July 1941, at No. 1, Calle Victoria, Manila, Luzon, the Philippines, with General Douglas MacArthur as commander. The Chief of Staff was Brigadier General Richard K. Sutherland and the Deputy Chief of Staff was Lieutenant Colonel Richard J. Marshall. The core of this command was drawn from the Office of the Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South West Pacific Area</span> Allied military command in World War II

South West Pacific Area (SWPA) was the name given to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands in the Pacific War. SWPA included the Philippines, Borneo, the Dutch East Indies, East Timor, Australia, the Territories of Papua and New Guinea, and the western part of the Solomon Islands. It primarily consisted of United States and Australian forces, although Dutch, Filipino, British, and other Allied forces also served in the SWPA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Brett (general)</span> United States general

George Howard Brett was a United States Army Air Forces General during World War II. An Early Bird of Aviation, Brett served as a staff officer in World War I. In 1941, following the outbreak of war with Japan, Brett was appointed Deputy Commander of a short-lived major Allied command, the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM), which oversaw Allied forces in South East Asia and the South West Pacific. In early 1942, he was put in charge of United States Army Forces in Australia, until the arrival of Douglas MacArthur. Brett then commanded all Allied Air Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area. In November 1942, he was appointed commander of the US Caribbean Defense Command and remained in this post for the rest of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William C. Gribble Jr.</span> United States Army general

William C. Gribble Jr. graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1941 and was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers.

In the United States Armed Forces, a lieutenant general is a three-star general officer in the United States Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leif J. Sverdrup</span> United States Army general

Leif Johan Sverdrup CBE was a Norwegian-born American civil engineer and general with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his service in the Southwest Pacific Area during World War II where he was Chief Engineer under General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold Castles</span>

Gold Castles is the name of the 14K gold insignia pin handed down from General Douglas MacArthur to his chief engineer Major General Leif J. Sverdrup in 1945, who established a tradition in 1975 that it shall be given to each successive Chief of Engineers of the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Service summary of Douglas MacArthur</span> A US Army generals service

This is the service summary of Douglas MacArthur, a General in the United States Army, who began his career in 1903 as a second lieutenant and served in three major military conflicts, going on to hold the highest military offices of both the United States and the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ennis Whitehead</span> United States Air Force general

Ennis Clement Whitehead was an early United States Army aviator and a United States Army Air Forces general during World War II. Whitehead joined the U. S. Army after the United States entered World War I in 1917. He trained as an aviator and served in France, where he was posted to the 3d Aviation Instruction Center and became a qualified test pilot. After the war, Whitehead returned to school at the University of Kansas. After he graduated, he was commissioned as a first lieutenant in 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilhelm D. Styer</span> United States general

Wilhelm Delp Styer was a lieutenant general in the United States Army during World War II. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point with the class of 1916, he was commissioned into the United States Army Corps of Engineers and served with the Pancho Villa Expedition and on the Western Front. Between the wars he obtained a degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was executive officer and assistant district engineer of the New York Engineer District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen J. Chamberlin</span> United States general

Stephen Jones Chamberlin was a lieutenant general in the United States Army who served during World War II as General of the Army Douglas MacArthur's Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, the staff officer in charge of plans and operations.

Arthur W. Oberbeck was an American lawyer, energy consultant, and Lieutenant General who served during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. A career officer commissioned in the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Oberbeck served multiple assignments in the then developing field of Nuclear Weapons, as the Commanding General of the 1st Infantry Division, and within the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

References

^  a: Office of History. "Commanders of the Corps of Engineers". United States Army Corps of Engineers . Retrieved 28 November 2009.

Inline citations
  1. "Acting Chief of Engineers". U.S. Army Office of the Chief of Engineers. 20 July 2011. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  2. "Lieutenant General Scott A. Spellmon". United States Army Corps of Engineers. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  3. "Promotion iho MG William "Butch" H. Graham, USACE Change of Command and Retirement iho LTG Scott A. Spellmon". DVIDS. Retrieved 8 September 2024.