Samuel McRoberts (U.S. general)

Samuel McRoberts
Samuel McRoberts
	From the January 1922 issue of Trust Companies magazine
Born	December 20, 1868; Malta Bend, Missouri
Died	September 8, 1947 (aged 78); New York City
Buried	Saint Matthew's Episcopal Churchyard, Bedford, New York
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1917-1938
Rank	Major General
Unit	U.S. Army Ordnance Department ; Officers Reserve Corps
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal ; New York State Conspicuous Service Cross ; Chevalier of the Legion of Honor
Spouse(s)	Mary Agnes Caldwell (married 1895, died 1904); Harriet Pearl Skinner (married 1906)
Other work	Attorney; Businessman; President, Metropolitan Trust Company

Last updated February 20, 2019

Major General Samuel McRoberts (December 20, 1868 – September 8, 1947) was an American attorney, businessman, and U.S. Army officer. He was notable for his success as a manager with the Armour corporation, and an executive and board of directors member for numerous other corporations and banks. During World War I, he was commissioned as a major and promoted to brigadier general as one of several business leaders who were recruited to government and military service in order to provide guidance and advice on the acquisition and production of war materiel. McRoberts continued to serve in the Organized Reserve even after retiring from business in 1925, and provided input to the War Department on the equipping of the Army until retiring as a major general in 1938.

World War I 1914–1918 global war originating in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

In the United States Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force, major is a field grade military officer rank above the rank of captain and below the rank of lieutenant colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of lieutenant commander in the other uniformed services. Although lieutenant commanders are considered junior officers by their respective services, the rank of major is considered field grade in the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps.

In the United States Armed Forces, brigadier general is a one-star general officer with the pay grade of O-7 in the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. The rank of brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed services. The NATO equivalent is OF-6.

Early life

Samuel McRoberts was born on December 20th, 1868 in Malta Bend, Missouri to Alexander Highlander McRoberts, a farmer, and Ellen Sisk McRoberts.^[1] His grandparents were Alexander and Nancy (Donnell) McRoberts, and his great grandfather was Samuel McRoberts, who came to Virginia from Scotland during the American Revolutionary War.^[2] He attended Baker University, where he received an A.B. degree in 1891 and an M.A. in 1894. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1893 with an LL.B. and was admitted to the bar.

Malta Bend is a city in Saline County, Missouri, United States. The population was 250 at the 2010 census.

American Revolutionary War 1775–1783 war between Great Britain and the Thirteen Colonies, which won independence as the United States of America

The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was an 18th-century war between Great Britain and its Thirteen Colonies which declared independence as the United States of America.

Baker University is a private Christian university in Baldwin City, Kansas. Founded in 1858, it was the first university officially founded in Kansas. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

McRoberts practiced law in Chicago, Illinois.^[1] From 1895 to 1900, he was an attorney for Armour and Company, and he later transferred to the financial department. His success as a manager and executive led to his appointment as treasurer of the company and general manager in 1904. While with Armour, he also served as president of the Illinois Tunnel Company for three years.^[2] McRoberts moved to New York City in 1909, and was vice president of the National City Bank in New York until his resignation in 1917.

Armour & Company was an American company and was one of the five leading firms in the meat packing industry. It was founded in Chicago, in 1867, by the Armour brothers led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company had become Chicago's most important business and had helped make Chicago and its Union Stock Yards the center of America's meatpacking industry. During the same period, its facility in Omaha, Nebraska, boomed, as well, making the city's meatpacking industry the largest in the nation by 1959. In connection with its meatpacking operations, the company also ventured into pharmaceuticals and soap manufacturing, introducing Dial soap in 1948.

The Chicago Tunnel Company built a 2 ft narrow-gauge railway freight tunnel network under the downtown of the city of Chicago. This was regulated by the Interstate Commerce Commission as an interurban even though it operated entirely under central Chicago, did not carry passengers, and was entirely underground. It inspired the construction of the London Post Office Railway.

The City of New York, often called New York City (NYC) or simply New York (NY), is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2017 population of 8,622,698 distributed over a land area of about 302.6 square miles (784 km²), New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the United States. Located at the southern tip of the state of New York, the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass and one of the world's most populous megacities, with an estimated 20,320,876 people in its 2017 Metropolitan Statistical Area and 23,876,155 residents in its Combined Statistical Area. A global power city, New York City has been described as the cultural, financial, and media capital of the world, and exerts a significant impact upon commerce, entertainment, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, art, fashion, and sports. The city's fast pace has inspired the term New York minute. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy.

Military career

In 1917, McRoberts was one of several prominent businessmen and corporate executives whose services were requested by the government because of their expertise in manufacturing, as well as other materiel production and management skills. McRoberts was initially commissioned as a major for service in the Ordnance Department in Washington, D.C. ^[2] On November 28, 1917, he was promoted to colonel and assigned as Chief of the Procurement Division. On August 8, 1918, he was promoted to brigadier general and sent to France, where he served until the end of the war.^[1] During his military service, McRoberts provided advice and guidance on site selection for factories, as well as other management functions, including finance and budgeting, design of assembly lines, and production schedules.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington or D.C., is the capital of the United States. Founded after the American Revolution as the seat of government of the newly independent country, Washington was named after George Washington, first President of the United States and Founding Father. As the seat of the United States federal government and several international organizations, Washington is an important world political capital. The city is also one of the most visited cities in the world, with more than 20 million tourists annually.

McRoberts remained in uniform until receiving his discharge on January 15, 1919, and was then commissioned as a brigadier general in the Officers Reserve Corps. In recognition of his wartime contributions, McRoberts received the Distinguished Service Medal and the French Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.^[2] He remained in the active Reserve until 1938, and was frequently asked to provide advice and guidance to the United States Department of War on the production and fielding of military equipment.

The United States Department of War, also called the War Department, was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, also bearing responsibility for naval affairs until the establishment of the Navy Department in 1798, and for most land-based air forces until the creation of the Department of the Air Force on September 18, 1947.

Post-World War I

After the war, McRoberts resumed his business career. In 1922 he became President of the Metropolitan Trust Company, a position he held until retiring in 1925. In addition, he served on the board of directors of several financial institutions and other companies, including the American Sugar Refining Company and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway.

McRoberts donated to many charitable causes, notably in obtaining settlement rights for a group of Canadian Mennonites in Paraguay. ^[3] He published two books, 'The Extension of American Banking in Foreign Countries' in 1910 and 'Russia's Future Needs for Capital' in 1916.^[2] Baker University awarded him the honorary degree of LL.D. in 1919. ^[1] McRoberts served as Chairman of The Economic Club of New York for the term 1930-1932.^[2]

Mennonites Anabaptist groups originating in Northern Europe

The Mennonites are members of certain Christian groups belonging to the church communities of Anabaptist denominations named after Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings, Simons articulated and formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders. The early teachings of the Mennonites were founded on the belief in both the mission and ministry of Jesus, which the original Anabaptist followers held to with great conviction despite persecution by the various Roman Catholic and Protestant states. An early set of Mennonite beliefs was codified in the Dordrecht Confession of Faith in 1632, but the various groups do not hold to a common confession or creed. Rather than fight, the majority of these followers survived by fleeing to neighboring states where ruling families were tolerant of their belief in believer's baptism. Over the years, Mennonites have become known as one of the historic peace churches because of their commitment to pacifism.

An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, a dissertation, and the passing of comprehensive examinations. It is also known by the Latin phrases honoris causa or ad honorem . The degree is typically a doctorate or, less commonly, a master's degree, and may be awarded to someone who has no prior connection with the academic institution or no previous postsecondary education. An example of identifying a recipient of this award is as follows: Doctorate in Business Administration.

Legum Doctor is a doctorate-level academic degree in law, or an honorary doctorate, depending on the jurisdiction. The double "L" in the abbreviation refers to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law and civil law, with the double "L" itself indicating the plural. This contrasts with the practice of the University of Oxford, where the degree that survived from the Middle Ages is the DCL or Doctor of Civil Law (only).

Death and burial

McRoberts died in New York City on September 8, 1947.^[1] He was buried at Saint Matthew's Episcopal Churchyard in Bedford, New York.

Personal life

On October 9, 1895, McRoberts married Mary Agnes Caldwell of Wichita, Kansas; she passed away in 1904. He married Harriet Pearl Skinner of Creston, Iowa, on September 1, 1906.

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References

1 2 3 4 5 Davis, Jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. p. 266. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Tomback, Sharon (2013). "The North Castle Estate of Brigadier-General Samuel McRoberts" (PDF). North Castle History. 40: 3–14. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
↑ Stoesz, Conrad (n.d.). "General Samuel McRoberts' photos of Mennonites in Paraguay 1926-1929". Plett Foundation. Plett Foundation. Retrieved April 25, 2017.

External links

Samuel McRoberts at Find a Grave

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[auto-1] 1 2 3 4 5 Davis, Jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. p. 266. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.

[auto_1-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tomback, Sharon (2013). "The North Castle Estate of Brigadier-General Samuel McRoberts" (PDF). North Castle History. 40: 3–14. Retrieved 25 April 2017.

[auto_2-3] Stoesz, Conrad (n.d.). "General Samuel McRoberts' photos of Mennonites in Paraguay 1926-1929". Plett Foundation. Plett Foundation. Retrieved April 25, 2017.

Samuel McRoberts
From the January 1922 issue of Trust Companies magazine
Born	(1868-12-20)December 20, 1868 Malta Bend, Missouri
Died	September 8, 1947(1947-09-08) (aged 78) New York City
Buried	Saint Matthew's Episcopal Churchyard, Bedford, New York
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1917-1938
Rank	Major General
Unit	U.S. Army Ordnance Department Officers Reserve Corps
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal New York State Conspicuous Service Cross Chevalier of the Legion of Honor
Spouse(s)	Mary Agnes Caldwell (married 1895, died 1904) Harriet Pearl Skinner (married 1906)
Other work	Attorney Businessman President, Metropolitan Trust Company