The Knox Trophy is the oldest military award of the United States Military Academy at West Point. The award was established on October 8, 1910, and is given annually by the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York to the United States Military Academy cadet with the highest rating for military efficiency. Named in honor of General Henry Knox, the first Secretary of War, the original trophy, made by Tiffany & Company was originally kept on display in the office of the West Point Commandant.
The Knox Trophy celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010.
Named in honor of Henry Knox, the first US Secretary of War, the original trophy, made by Tiffany & Company was originally kept on display in the office of the West Point Commandant. The tradition started back on October 8, 1910, and continues today as the academy's oldest military award. According to the Sons of the Revolution in New York (SRNY), the trophy was designed by Tiffany & Company and is still presented annually to the Corps of Cadets of the United States Military Academy by the Sons of the Revolution (NY).
The United States Military Academy is a school for the practical and theoretical training of cadets for the military service. Upon completing its course satisfactorily, cadets are eligible for promotion and commission as second lieutenants in any arm or corps of the Army the duties of which they have been judged competent to perform.
Sherman L. Fleek, Lt. Col. US Army (Ret) United States Military Academy Command Historian noted, “The cadets undergo months and months, years actually of leadership evaluations, testing, training, and so on, since the trophy winners seemed to be First Captains because the First Captain excelled in leadership.”
A record in 1909 found an order of general merit ranking that included an order of merit score in; Civil and Military Engineering, Law, Ordnance and Science of Gunnery, Drill Regulations, Practical Military Engineering, Conduct First Class, less demerits for the year, providing a General Merit Ranking (looking for confirmation that this is the same reference to "military efficiency rating").
In 1978, the Commandant requested the Knox Trophy be presented to the Brigade Executive Officer. There was no established award for that position at the time. But in 1979, the Knox Trophy was again awarded to the cadet with the highest military efficiency. An award was established in 1981 recognizing the Brigade Executive Officer.
The Knox Trophy is awarded annually prior to commencement ceremonies each year at the USMA at West Point. The award is normally presented by the President or board member of the Sons of the Revolution of the State of New York. A photograph along the annual commencement publication is sent back to the SR Headquarters at the Fraunces Tavern and Museum in New York City. Since the early 1960s, each winner has received a keepsake Tiffany silver Revere bowl. A keepsake replica, alongside a print of General Henry Knox is on display at Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan (see image at the top of the piece).
According to the Sons of the Revolution in New York (SRNY), the trophy was designed by Tiffany & Company and is still presented annually to the Corps of Cadets of the United States Military Academy by the Sons of the Revolution (NY). The tradition started back on October 8, 1910, and continues today as the academy's oldest military award.
Sons of the Revolution (SR) should not be confused with Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), a separate group which was founded on April 30, 1889, at New York by New Jersey businessman William Osborn McDowell. He disagreed with the Sons of the Revolution requirement of the time that other state societies be subordinate to the New York society, and intended to include members by recognizing additional types of public service of a revolutionary ancestor beyond that which contributed directly to the Revolution. [1]
Fraunces Tavern is a museum and restaurant housed in a restored building that played a prominent role in pre-Revolution and Revolution history. The building that houses the tavern, located at 54 Pearl Street at the corner of Broad Street, has been owned by the New York society since 1904, which claims it is Manhattan's oldest surviving building. [2]
The building served also as the offices of the General Society until 2002, when the society headquarters moved to its current location in Independence, Mo. The museum maintains several galleries of art and artifacts about the Revolution including the McEntee "Sons of the Revolution" Gallery that displays much of the SR history. [3]
The General Society and several state societies have established various educational and military awards which are given to individuals and groups for their academic or service performance. The awards include the Annapolis Cup which was created in 1905 and given annually by the general society and the Maryland society to a U.S. Naval Academy midshipman, [4] the Knox Trophy (New York) which was created in 1910 and given annually by the New York society to a U.S. Military Academy at West Point cadet, [5] the Capt. Gustavus Conyngham Award which was created in 1999 and given annually by the New York society to a U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point midshipman, [5] the Recognition Award which was created in 2002 and given annually by the Massachusetts society to a U.S. Army ROTC cadet, [6] and the Knox Trophy (From Massachusetts, not New York) which was created in 1924 and given annually until 1940 by the Massachusetts society to a U.S. Army field-artillery battery and "redleg" artillery operator. [7]
Most of the recipients were the First Captain of their graduating class, but it is not a requirement to win the award. On the list is some of the top U.S. Army officers; William Westmoreland, Pete Dawkins (1959 Heisman Trophy winner), and several others, including John P. McConnell who was later the US Air Force Chief of Staff. Four of the Knox trophy winners became four-star generals. As of 1987, three winners were stationed at West Point; the 1955 winner, Col. Lee D. Olvey, head of the Department of Social Sciences; the 1968 winner, LTC John L. Throckmorton, Jr., Treasurer of the USMA; 1969 winner, LTC Robert H. Baldwin, Jr., professor / Department of Social Sciences.
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high ground overlooking the Hudson River with a scenic view, 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. It is the oldest of the five American service academies and educates cadets for commissioning into the United States Army.
The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers who served in the Continental Army.
Fraunces Tavern is a museum and restaurant in New York City, situated at 54 Pearl Street at the corner of Broad Street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. The location played a prominent role in history before, during, and after the American Revolution. At various points in its history, Fraunces Tavern served as a headquarters for George Washington, a venue for peace negotiations with the British, and housing federal offices in the Early Republic.
Colonel and Brevet Brigadier General Sylvanus Thayer also known as "the Father of West Point" was an early superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point and an early advocate of engineering education in the United States.
Lawrence Rush "Rick" Atkinson IV is an American author, most recently of The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775–1777, the first volume in the Revolution Trilogy. He has won Pulitzer Prizes in history and journalism.
The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is awarded to each season's winner of the American college football series among the teams of the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.
The Philolexian Society of Columbia University is one of the oldest college literary and debate societies in the United States, and the oldest student group at Columbia. Founded in 1802, the Society aims to "improve its members in Oratory, Composition and Forensic Discussion." The name Philolexia is Greek for "love of discourse," and the society's motto is the Latin word Surgam, meaning "I shall rise." The society traces its roots to a literary society founded by Alexander Hamilton in the 1770s.
Samuel Fraunces was an American restaurateur and the owner/operator of Fraunces Tavern in New York City. During the Revolutionary War, he provided for prisoners held during the seven-year British occupation of New York City (1776-1783), and claimed to have been a spy for the American side. At the end of the war, it was at Fraunces Tavern that General George Washington said farewell to his officers. Fraunces later served as steward of Washington's presidential household in New York City (1789–1790) and Philadelphia (1791–1794).
West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for Revolutionary War soldiers and early West Point inhabitants long before 1817, when it was officially designated as a military cemetery.
Thomas Hickey was a Continental Army soldier in the American Revolutionary War, and the first person to be executed by the Continental Army for "mutiny, sedition, and treachery".
Wentworth Military Academy and College was a private two-year military college and high school in Lexington, Missouri. Wentworth was one of six total military junior colleges in the United States. The institution was founded in 1880 and closed in 2017.
The Army Black Knights football team, previously known as the Army Cadets, represents the United States Military Academy in college football. Army is a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member of the NCAA. The Black Knights play home games in Michie Stadium with a capacity of 38,000 at West Point, New York. The Black Knights are coached by Jeff Monken, who has held the position since 2014. Army claims three national championships from 1944 to 1946. In addition, major selectors have awarded Army championships in 1914 and 1916. Army has produced 24 players and four coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame, 37 consensus All-Americans, and three Heisman Trophy winners.
Henry Brewerton was a career engineering officer in the United States Army, serving as the superintendent of the United States Military Academy and then as a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was nominated for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general in the Regular Army by President Andrew Johnson on December 11, 1866, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the United States Senate confirmed the appointment on February 23, 1867.
Sons of the Revolution is a hereditary society which was founded in 1876 and educates the public about the American Revolution. The General Society Sons of the Revolution headquarters is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation located at Williamsburg, Virginia. The Society is governed by a board of managers, an executive committee, officers, standing committees and their members, and staff. The General Society includes 28 State Societies and chapters in the United States, as well as Europe.
Asa Bird Gardiner was a controversial American soldier, attorney, and district attorney for New York County from 1898 to 1900.
The history of the United States Military Academy can be traced to fortifications constructed on the West Point of the Hudson River during the American Revolutionary War in 1778. Following the war, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy (USMA) on the site in 1802. In 1817 the academy was transformed by the appointment of Sylvanus Thayer who drastically reformed the curriculum.
John Austin Stevens Jr. was a leader of business, an adviser of government and a student of the American Revolution. While he was born to a prominent banking family with political connections, it was his interest in U.S. history and his founding of Sons of the Revolution for which he is best known.
The Order of the Founders and Patriots of America (OFPA) is a non-profit, hereditary organization based in the United States that is dedicated to promoting patriotism and preserving historical records of the first colonists and their descendants. The Order is made up of "Associates" who trace their ancestry back to colonists who settled between May 13, 1607 to May 13, 1657, and who also have ancestors in the same male ancestral line who served in the American Revolution.