Lindley Miller Garrison (November 28, 1864 – October 19, 1932) was an American lawyer from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

who served as

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

under

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

between 1913 and 1916.

Biography

Early years

Lindley Miller Garrison was born in Camden, New Jersey, the son of the Reverend Joseph Fithian Garrison (1823-1892) and Elizabeth Vanarsdale (Grant) Garrison (1829-1903). His brother was

Charles G. Garrison Charles Grant Garrison (August 3, 1849 – April 22, 1924) was a physician, lawyer, and judge from New Jersey. Garrison was born in Swedesboro, New Jersey on August 3, 1849, the son of Rev. Joseph Fithian Garrison (1823–1892) and Elizabeth Vanar ...

, an associate justice of the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...

He attended public schools and the Protestant Episcopal Academy in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He studied at Phillips Exeter Academy for one year before attending

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

as a special student from 1884 to 1885. He studied law in the office of Redding, Jones & Carson of Philadelphia, received a law degree from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, and was admitted to the bar in 1886. He practiced law in Camden from 1888 to 1898 and became a partner in the firm of Garrison, McManus & Enright in Jersey City in 1899. He married Margaret Hildeburn in Jersey City on 30 June 1899. Garrison served as vice-chancellor of New Jersey from 1904 to 1913, where he came to Governor

's notice.

Secretary of War

From March 5, 1913 to February 10, 1916, Garrison served as Secretary of War in the Wilson administration. Garrison and Wilson never fit well together. Garrison was much more willing to intervene militarily overseas than was the President. This was especially evident in regard to Mexico. Garrison urged American intervention into the Mexican revolution to restore order. During the Preparedness campaign of 1916, when Wilson was trying to convince Congress to raise military spending, Garrison supported a plan for expanding the US military with what he called the Continental Army Plan. Garrison's proposal would establish a standing army of 140,000 and a national, volunteer reserve force of 400,000 men. Wilson initially gave the plan tepid support, but Garrison ran into opposition from both those who felt his plan went too far in creating a large standing army, as well as from those who felt it did not go far enough. Wilson was convinced by allies in Congress to back an alternative plan which emphasized not Garrison's national volunteer force, but a continued role for the states' National Guard. Garrison resigned in February 1916 over these differences.

Later years

After leaving Wilson's administration Garrison returned to the practice of law in the firm of Hornblower, Miller & Garrison (now Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP). He was appointed receiver of the

Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) was a public transit holding company formed in 1896 to acquire and consolidate railway lines in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It was a prominent corporation and industry leader using ...

in December 1918 and served until June 1923. He died on October 19, 1932, at his home in

Sea Bright, New Jersey Sea Bright is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was reflecting a decline of 406 (−22.3%) from the 1,818 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increa ...

.Staff
"LINDLEY M. GARRISON DIES IN 68TH YEAR; Secretary of War in Wilson Cabinet Succumbs in Home in Seabright, N. J. WAS A TALENTED LAWYER Differed With President on Method of Strengthening Military Defense and Resigned."
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', October 20, 1932. Accessed May 9, 2017. "SEA BRIGHT, N. J., Oct. 19. - Lindley M. Garrison, one of the leaders of the American bar who was Secretary of War in the Cabinet of President Woodrow Wilson from March 5, 1913, to Feb. 10, 1916, when he resigned, died yesterday at his home here, 38 Ocean Avenue."

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garrison, Lindley Miller 1864 births 1932 deaths United States Secretaries of War People from Sea Bright, New Jersey Harvard University alumni New Jersey lawyers University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Woodrow Wilson administration cabinet members 20th-century American politicians Politicians from Camden, New Jersey Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)