Francis Bowditch Wilby (April 24, 1883 – November 20, 1965) was a major general in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

who served as the 39th Superintendent of the

United States Military Academy 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 groun ...

from 1942 to 1945, during World War II.

Early years and WW I

Francis Bowditch Wilby was born on April 24, 1883, in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, Michigan. Raised in

Deerfield, Massachusetts Deerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Settled near the Connecticut River in the 17th century during the colonial era, the population was 5,090 as of the 2020 census. Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachu ...

, he graduated from the

Deerfield Academy Deerfield Academy is an elite coeducational preparatory school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1797, it is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association, the Ten Schools Admis ...

. Wilby then attended the

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

and graduated third in the Class of 1905. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers on June 13, 1905. Wilby was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant on June 7, 1907, and in September of the same year, he was ordered to the

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, where he attended the Engineer School at Washington Barracks (now

Fort Lesley J. McNair Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Cha ...

). Wilby also served with the United States forces during the United States occupation of Cuba between years 1906–1909. When the U.S. entered

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Wilby was transferred to France with the American Expeditionary Force. His first assignment with the AEF was as the Instructor of 1st Corps Engineer School in Gondrecourt-le-Château. He also attended the French engineer school at Chalons-sur-Marne. On March 20, 1918, Wilby was transferred to the Chaumont-Porcien Headquarters of the American Expeditionary Force, where he was appointed as Chief of Engineers Intelligence Division in the Office of Chief of Engineers. On September 26, 1918, Wilby was transferred to the 1st Infantry Division under command of Major General

Robert Lee Bullard Lieutenant General Robert Lee Bullard (January 5, 1861 – September 11, 1947) was a senior officer of the United States Army. He was involved in conflicts in the American Western Frontier, the Philippines, and World War I, where he commanded t ...

, where he was appointed as a Commander of 1st Engineers. Wilby stayed in this capacity until March 14, 1919, where he was ordered back to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. For his distinguished service during World War I, Wilby was awarded with Army Distinguished Service Medal by the Government of the United States and with the Croix de Guerre with Palm of the Government of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Distinguished Service Medal Citation

The official U.S. Army citation for Wilby's Distinguished Service Medal reads: :General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 14 (1923) :Action Date: World War I :Name: Francis Bowditch Wilby :Service: Army :Rank: Colonel :Company: Chief Engineer :Division: American Expeditionary Force :Citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Colonel (Corps of Engineers) Francis Bowditch Wilby (ASN: 0-2023), United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. As Assistant in charge of Military Engineering in the Office of the Chief Engineer, American Expeditionary Forces, and later as Division Engineer of the 1st Division, Colonel Wilby displayed unusual ability and professional attainments of a high order. As Editor of the Engineer Field Notes, and as the author of a large number of them, his clear conception of the functions and duties of Engineer troops was most firmly impressed upon the Combat Engineers and contributed in a signal manner to their marked efficiency. By his rare technical skill and knowledge, keen adaptability to all conditions, he contributed materially to the success of the 1st Division in a position of great responsibility and in times and circumstances of the gravest importance.

Between wars

Wilby graduated from the School of the Line in 1922, the General Staff School in 1923, and the Army War College in 1924. He then served on the War Department General Staff from 1924 to 1928. Wilby was transferred to Governors Island, New York, where he was appointed as a chief of staff of 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 ...

under the command of Lieutenant General Hugh A. Drum on October 26, 1939. He was also promoted to the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

on October 1, 1940.

World War II

In July 1941, Wilby was appointed as the commanding general of the First Corps Area Service Command, just renamed from

First Corps Area 60px, First Service Command insignia The First Corps Area was a Corps area (effectively a military district) of the United States Army 1921-1942. It replaced the Northeastern Department, and was headquartered in Boston Army Base, Massachusetts ...

. Wilby was promoted to the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

on September 29, 1941. On January 13, 1942, Wilby was selected to be appointed as Superintendent of the United States Military Academy and stayed in this capacity for the whole of World War II until September 4, 1945. His last military assignment was at

Fort Belvoir Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It was developed on the site of the former Belvoir plantation, seat of the prominent Fairfax family for whom Fai ...

in Fairfax County, Virginia, where he served as a commander of the Engineer school until January 31, 1946, when he finally retired from the Army.

Retirement

After his retirement from the Army, Wilby was appointed as a chairman of the

New York Power Authority The New York Power Authority (NYPA), officially the Power Authority of the State of New York, is a New York State public-benefit corporation. It is the largest state public power utility in the United States. NYPA provides some of the lowest-co ...

and served in this capacity until 1950. Then he worked as a consultant engineer of the Knappen Tibbetts Abbeit Company until his final retirement in 1952. Wilby settled in Asheville, North Carolina and died on November 20, 1965, at the age of 82 at the Oteen Veterans' Administration Hospital. He is buried at the

United States Military Academy Post Cemetery West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery in the eastern United States, on the grounds of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for Revolutionary War soldiers and early ...

, together with his first wife Dorothy Langfitt Wilby (1887–1948). His second wife Olive Logan (Emerson) Payne (1896–1983) was buried beside them after her death.

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Major General Wilby:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilby, Francis 1883 births 1965 deaths People from Deerfield, Massachusetts Deerfield Academy alumni United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Detroit Military personnel from Massachusetts United States Army Corps of Engineers personnel United States Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals United States Army generals of World War II Superintendents of the United States Military Academy People from Asheville, North Carolina Burials at West Point Cemetery 20th-century American academics