List of commandants of cadets of the United States Military Academy

Last updated

Logo of the Military Academy U.S. Military Academy Coat of Arms.svg
Logo of the Military Academy

The Commandant of Cadets is the ranking officer in charge of the Corps of Cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. The commandant is head of the Department of Tactics and, under the superintendent of the academy is responsible for the administration, discipline, and military training of cadets at the academy. A model for all cadets, the commandant is an academy graduate of impeccable character and bearing who has demonstrated accomplishment in both academic excellence and active military service in the field.

Contents

During the superintendency of Sylvanus Thayer, the corps of cadets was organized into a battalion of two companies with an officer of the army appointed as commander. In 1825, the office was designated as commandant of cadets. [1] William J. Worth was the first officer to bear the title, though he had assumed the office several years previously, following three earlier battalion commanding officers.

Referring to the office in his work on Commandant Emory Upton, academy professor Peter Michie wrote: "His example should be that of the ideal soldier, officer, and gentleman. He should cultivate soldierly honor among the cadets until it attains vigorous growth. He should rebuke with severity the first tendency to prevarication or dishonesty in word or act. With a system of divided responsibility, which ultimately rests on one or two comrades, he should control all by strict and increasing exactions. To make his government successful he should be endowed with the highest soldierly qualities in personal bearing at drill, and even in every act while subject to vision of his corps" [2]

Commandants

#StartEndNameClass yearNotabilityReferences
118171818 George W. Gardiner  1814Killed in Dade's Massacre (second in command of the force under Major Dade) [a]
218181819 John Bliss   [a]
318191820 John R. Bell  1812 [a]
418201828 William J. Worth   [a]
518291833 Ethan Allen Hitchcock  1817Union Major General [a]
618331838 John Fowle   [a]
718381842 Charles Ferguson Smith  1825Union Major General [a]
818421845 John Addison Thomas  1833 [a]
918451852 Bradford Ripley Alden  1831 [a]
1018521854 Robert S. Garnett  1841Confederate Brigadier General; killed in the Battle of Corrick's Ford [a]
1118541856 William H.T. Walker  1837Confederate Major General; killed in the Battle of Atlanta [a]
1218561860 William J. Hardee  1838Confederate Lieutenant General [a]
1318601861 John F. Reynolds  1841Union Major General; killed in the Battle of Gettysburg [a]
1418611861 Christopher C. Augur  1843Union Major General [a]
1518611862 Kenner Garrard  1851Union Brigadier General [a]
1618621864 Henry B. Clitz  1845 [a]
1718641864 John C. Tidball  1848 [a]
1818641870 Henry M. Black  1847 [a]
1918701875 Emory Upton  1861Union Brigadier General [a]
2018751879 Thomas H. Neill  1847Union Brigadier General [a]
2118791882 Henry M. Lazelle  1855 [a]
2218821888 Henry C. Hasbrouck  1861 [a]
2318881892 Hamilton S. Hawkins  Member of the class of 1856; did not graduate [a]
2418921897 Samuel M. Mills  1865 [a]
2518971901 Otto L. Hein  1870 [a]
2619011905 Charles G. Treat  1882 [a]
2719051909 Robert L. Howze  1888 Medal of Honor recipient [a]
2819091911 Frederick W. Sibley  1874 [a]
2919111914 Fred Winchester Sladen  1890 Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (1922-1926) [a]
3019141916 Morton F. Smith  1895 [a]
3119161918 Guy Vernor Henry  1898Bronze medallist in Team eventing at the 1912 Summer Olympics [a]
3219181919 Jens Bugge  1895 [a]
3319191923 Robert M. Danford  1904 [a]
3419231926 Merch B. Stewart  1896 Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (1926-1928) [a]
3519261929 Campbell B. Hodges  1903 [a]
3619291933 Robert C. Richardson  1904 [a]
3719331936 Simon Bolivar Buckner  1908 [a]
3819361937 Dennis E. McCunniff  1913 [a]
3919371941 Charles W. Ryder  1915 [a]
4019411942 Frederick A. Irving  1917 Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (1951-1954) [a]
4119421943 Philip E. Gallagher  1918 [a]
4219431946 George B. Honnen  1920 [a]
4319461948 Gerald J. Higgins  1934 [a]
4419481951 Paul D. Harkins  1929 [a]
4519511952 John K. Waters  1931 [a]
4619521954 John H. Michaelis  1936 [a]
4719541956 Edwin J. Messinger  1931 [a]
4819561959 John L. Throckmorton  1935 [a]
4919591961 Charles W. G. Rich  1935 [a]
5019611963 Richard G. Stilwell  1938 [a]
5119631965 Michael S. Davison  1939 [a]
5219651967 Richard P. Scott  1941 [a]
5319671969 Bernard W. Rogers  1943 [a]
5419691972 Sam S. Walker  1946 [a]
5519721975 Phillip R. Feir  1949 [a]
5619751977 Walter F. Ulmer  1952 [a]
5719771979 John C. Bard  1954 [a]
5819791982 Joseph P. Franklin  1955 [a]
5919821984 John H. Moellering  1959 [a]
6019841987 Peter J. Boylan  1961 [a]
6119871989 Fred A. Gorden  1962 [a]
6219891992 David A. Bramlett  1964 [a]
6319921994 Robert F. Foley  1963 Medal of Honor recipient [a]
6419941995 Freddy E. McFarren  1966 [a]
6519951997 Robert J. St. Onge  1969 [a]
6619971999 John P. Abizaid  1973 [a]
6719992002 Eric Olson  1972 [a]
6820022004 Leo A. Brooks  1979 [a]
6920042006 Curtis M. Scaparrotti  1978 [a]
7020062008 Robert L. Caslen  1975 Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (2013-2018) [a]
7120082009 Michael S. Linnington  1980 [a]
7220092011 William E. Rapp  1984 [a]
7320112012 Theodore D. Martin  1983 [a]
7420122014 Richard Clarke  1984 [a]
7520142016 John Thomson  1986 [a]
7620162017 Diana Holland  1990 [a]
7720172019 Steven Gilland  1990 Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (2022-present) [a]
7820192021 Curtis Buzzard  1992 [a]
7920212023 Mark Quander  1995 [a]
8020232024 Lori Robinson  1994 [3]
812024present R.J. Garcia  1996 [a]
William J. Worth General William J. Worth.jpg
William J. Worth
Ethan A. Hitchcock Gen Ethan Allen Hitchcock.jpg
Ethan A. Hitchcock
Charles Ferguson Smith CFSmith.jpg
Charles Ferguson Smith
John F. Reynolds GenJFRenyolds.jpg
John F. Reynolds
Emory Upton EmoryUpton.jpg
Emory Upton
Robert L. Howze Robert Lee HowzeClass1888.jpg
Robert L. Howze
Robert C. Richardson Robert C RichardsonJr.jpg
Robert C. Richardson
John K. Waters John Knight Waters.jpg
John K. Waters
Bernard W. Rogers Bernard W. Rogers.jpg
Bernard W. Rogers
Robert Caslen Lieutenant General Robert L. Caslen Jr-USA.jpg
Robert Caslen

References

General references

^  a:  "Special Collections: Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U. S. Military Academy". United States Military Academy Library. 1950. Archived from the original on 2010-05-30. Retrieved 2009-05-04.

Inline citations
  1. Forman, Sidney (1950). West Point: A History of the United States Military Academy. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 153.
  2. Michie, Peter S., The Life and Letters of Emory Upton, p. 247, quoted in Forman, Sidney (1950). West Point: A History of the United States Military Academy. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 153.
  3. "West Point Welcomes New Commandant of Cadets". DVIDS. 2023-06-20. Retrieved 2023-06-21.

See also