| Arthur Macarthur, Jr. |
Article Index for Arthur Macarthur |
Website Links For Arthur |
Information AboutArthur Macarthur, Jr. |
|
Arthur MacArthur, Jr. ( June 2 , 1845 – September 5 , 1912 ), was a United States Army General . He became the military Governor of the American-occupied Philippines in 1900 but his term ended a year later due to clashes with the civilian governor, future President William Howard Taft . EARLY LIFE MacArthur was the father of the famed general Douglas MacArthur , as well as Arthur MacArthur III , a captain in the Navy awarded the Navy Cross in World War I . His own father, Arthur MacArthur, Sr. , was the fourth Governor of Wisconsin (albeit for only four days). Arthur MacArthur, Jr. was born in Massachusetts on June 2, 1845. CIVIL WAR At the outbreak of the Civil War , he was living in Wisconsin and immediately joined the 24th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, seeing action at Chickamauga, Stones River, Chattanooga, the Atlanta Campaign and Franklin. McArthur left the Army in June 1865 and began the study of law, but it was not for him and he returned to his first love, the Army, in February 1866, receiving a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Regular Army. For thirty years McArthur traveled the nation, being assigned to Pennsylvania, New York, Utah Territory, Louisiana and New Mexico, and where he took part in the campaign against Geronimo in 1885 . He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1899 . McArthur had been recommended for the Medal Of Honor for electrifying his regiment at Missionary Ridge during the Battle Of Chattanooga with the cry ''" On Wisconsin ."'' He was finally awarded the Medal (in 1890) for that service. SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR During the first part of the Spanish American War , MacArthur was serving as the Adjutant General of the III Corps in Georgia . In June, 1898 he was promoted Brigadier General in the volunteer army and commanded the Third Philippine Expedition. When he arrived in the Philippines he took command of the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, VIII Corps and led it at the Battle Of Manila (1898) . He was appointed Major General of volunteers when the Spanish-American War ended. PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN WAR He was stationed in the Dakota Territory when the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898 and he was commissioned a Brigadier General of U.S. Volunteers. MacArthur led the U.S. 2nd Division , VIII Corps during the Philippine-American War at the Battle Of Manila (1899) , the Malolos Campaign and the Northern Offensive . When the war turned from conventional battles to Guerrilla Warfare , MacArthur commanded the Dept of Northern Luzon. In January 1900, he was appointed Brigadier General in the regular army and was appointed military governor of the Philippines and assumed command of the VIII Corps, replacing General Elwell S. Otis . He authorised the expedition, under General Frederick Funston , that resulted in the capture of Emilio Aguinaldo . MacArthur persuaded the captured Aguinaldo cease fighting and to swear allegiance to the United States. After the war, President William McKinley named him Military Governor of the Philippines, but the following year, William Howard Taft was appointed as Civilian Governor and he and MacArthur clashed frequently (he seemed to resent civilian authority, much as his son, Douglas , would do both in World War II and later in Korea). So severe were his difficulties with William H. Taft , over U.S. military actions in the war, that MacArthur was eventually relieved and transferred to command the Department of the Pacific, where he was promoted to Lieutenant General . RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES In the years that followed he was assigned to various stateside posts and in 1905 was sent to Manchuria to observe the final stages of the Russo-Japanese War and served as Military Attaché to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. He returned to the U.S. in 1906 and resumed his post as Commander of the Pacific Division. That year the position of Army Chief Of Staff became available and he was then the highest ranking officer in the Army. However, he was passed over by Secretary of War William Howard Taft (old feelings were hard to forget). He never did realize his dream of commanding the entire Army. RETIREMENT McArthur retired from the Army on June 2 , 1909 , the day that he turned 64. On September 5 , 1912, he went to Milwaukee to address a reunion of his Civil War unit. While on the dais, he suffered a massive heart attack and died there. He was originally buried in Milwaukee on Monday, September 7, 1912, but was moved to Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery in 1926. He is buried among other members of the family there, while his son, Douglas is buried in Norfolk, Virginia. AWARDS Military awards and decorations include the Civil War Campaign Medal , Indian Campaign Medal , Spanish Campaign Medal , Philippine Campaign Medal , and the Medal Of Honor . TRIVIA
EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|