Robert William Porter Jr. (April 29, 1908 – April 22, 2000) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, United States Southern Command from 1965 to 1969.

Military career

Porter was born in

Alma, Nebraska Alma is a city in Harlan County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,133 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Harlan County. History Alma was founded in the spring of 1871 by a group of Union Pacific railroad laborers origina ...

, on April 29, 1908. After graduating from high school, he entered the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

, graduating in 1930. He began his career in the cavalry. During World War II, he served with the 1st Infantry Division in North Africa and Sicily, and with

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

in Italy. Returning to the War Department in 1945, he served as a strategic planner, and later became Executive Officer to the Under Secretary of the Army. After graduating from the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Col ...

in 1950, Porter held a variety of positions to include commander,

2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment The 2nd Cavalry Regiment, also known as the 2nd Dragoons, is an active Stryker infantry and cavalry regiment of the United States Army. The Second Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army Europe and Africa, with its garrison at the ...

; Deputy G-3, Allied Land Forces Central Europe; Chief of Staff,

X Corps 10th Corps, Tenth Corps, or X Corps may refer to: France * 10th Army Corps (France) * X Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * X Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * X ...

; member of the National Security Council Planning Board; Commander, 3rd Armored Division; United States Representative to the Permanent Deputies Group, Central Treaty Organization. From April 1964 to 1965 he commanded the

First United States Army First Army is the oldest and longest-established field army of the United States Army. It served as a theater army, having seen service in both World War I and World War II, and supplied the US army with soldiers and equipment during the Kore ...

at Fort Jay,

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...

, New York. His final assignment was Commander-in-Chief, United States Southern Command. Porter's awards and decorations included the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

with

oak leaf cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

, the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight u ...

with oak leaf cluster, and the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. W ...

Later life

After retiring from the army, Porter became a tree farmer in Virginia, winning the title Virginia Tree Farmer of the Year in 1995. He died on April 22, 2000 at the Martha Jefferson Hospital in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen C ...

after a heart attack.

References

* * United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni United States Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit People from Alma, Nebraska 1908 births 2000 deaths Farmers from Virginia People from Charlottesville, Virginia 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-army-World-War-II-bio-stub