Samuel Nicholas was the first officer commissioned in the United States Continental Marines and by tradition is considered to be the first Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Paul Xavier Kelley was a United States Marine Corps general who served as the 28th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps from July 1, 1983, to June 30, 1987.
General Earl Edward Anderson was an American Marine Corps general. The youngest active duty Marine ever promoted to the rank of general and the first active duty Marine Naval Aviator to be promoted to a 4-star rank, became Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps on April 1, 1972. He was promoted to general on March 31, 1972. General Keith B. McCutcheon had been promoted to four-star rank the day of his retirement for medical reasons on July 1, 1971. During his 35-year Marine career, he has served in combat actions in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
Alfred M. Gray Jr. is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1 July 1987 until his retirement on 30 June 1991 after 41 years of service.
Robert Magnus, is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 30th Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps from September 8, 2005 to July 2, 2008. He retired from active duty on July 17, 2008 after 38 years of total service.
Joseph J. Went is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general. His final assignment was as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and Chief of Staff. He retired in 1990 after 38 years of service.
James Dougherty was a U.S. Marine in the 1871 Korean Campaign. He received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Korean Expedition, while serving as a private aboard USS Benicia. His Medal of Honor was issued on February 8, 1872, under General Order No. 169. Private Dougherty was one of fifteen United States sailors and Marines who received the Medal of Honor for this little known American military action.
The United States Marine Corps' Judge Advocate Division serves both to advise the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) and other officials in Headquarters, Marine Corps on legal matters, and to oversee the Marine Corps legal community. The head of the Judge Advocate Division (JAD) is the Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant.
Joseph P. Flynn was the Chief Judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court. Flynn was appointed judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court on February 7, 2001 and Chief Judge on February 1, 2006. Judge Flynn subsequently assumed in 2010 and Judge Alexandra DiPentima succeeded him. Judge Flynn continued to sit as a Senior Judge until attaining Age 70, whereupon he became a Judge Trial Referee.
General Merrill Barber Twining was a United States Marine Corps general who received a "tombstone promotion" to four-star general upon retirement. He was the brother of Air Force General Nathan Farragut Twining, and the nephew of Rear Admiral Nathan Crook Twining.
John Revell "Jack" Dailey is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps (ACMC) and Chief of Staff from 1990 to 1992, Acting Associate Deputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from 1992 to 1999; and director of the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) from 2000 to 2018.
Michael C. Wholley is a former General Counsel for NASA and a retired United States Marine Corps Brigadier General.
Wendell Craig Williams is a former Federal Prosecutor, Assistant United States Attorney, and member of the United States Marine Corps. He received his bachelor's degree from Duke University in 1987, his law degree from the University of Florida in 1997 and his master's degree from Columbia University in 2001.
Joseph Francis Dunford Jr. is a retired United States Marine Corps general, who served as the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2015 until September 30, 2019. He was the 36th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Dunford is the first Marine Corps officer to serve in four different four-star positions; the others include commander of the International Security Assistance Force and United States Forces – Afghanistan from February 2013 until August 2014, and as the 32nd Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps from October 23, 2010, to December 15, 2012. He has commanded several units, including the 5th Marine Regiment during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Albert Diaz is a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Diaz is the first Hispanic judge to serve on the Fourth Circuit. Prior to his appointment to the Court of Appeals, Diaz was a North Carolina state superior court judge and an appellate judge for the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals.
Lieutenant General Thomas H. Miller, was a United States Marine Corps Naval Aviator and test pilot. Miller saw active combat in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. As a test pilot, he set a World Speed Record in an F4H-1 (F4B) Phantom. He was the first American to fly the Marine Corps' new AV-8A Harrier jet, capable of vertical takeoff and landing, orchestrating its procurement for the Marine Corps and oversee development of the concept during his career. For this effort, Miller was known as "the father of STOVL aviation in the USMC."
Vaughn A. Ary is a retired American Major General and the former Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps and Director of the United States Marine Corps Judge Advocate Division. He currently serves as the Director of the Office of International Affairs for the U.S. Department of Justice.
Robert Blake Neller is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps. He assumed his assignment on September 24, 2015 and retired on July 11, 2019. He was succeeded by David H. Berger.
John Edward Sparks is a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and former Commissioner to the Chief Judge of the same court.
