Merritt Barton Curtis, (August 31, 1892 – May 16, 1966) was a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

officer with 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 appointe ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He was also lawyer who in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

ran for

President of the United States 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 Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

in Washington with B. N. Miller and vice-president in Texas with

Charles L. Sullivan Charles L. Sullivan (August 20, 1924 – April 18, 1979) was an American politician, attorney and military pilot. He served the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from 1968 to 1972 under Governor John Bell Williams. He was also a general i ...

under the Constitution Party banner. Curtis also ran for vice-president in Michigan with Lars Daly under the Tax Cut banner.

Early career

Merritt Barton Curtis was born in 1892 at

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 ce ...

, son of Israel Hamilton Curtis and Eliza Allen Mee. He attended the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...

, where he earned his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in 1916. Curtis subsequently entered the Marine Corps on August 10, 1917, and was commissioned second lieutenant on that date. He also married Francis Claire Bracewell on April 23, 1917, at

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

. Curtis was assigned to the Marine Barracks Quantico,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

, and served there during the whole duration of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. He was transferred to the 1st Provisional Brigade of Marine and sent for duties in

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and s ...

on June 1, 1920. Curtis was transferred to Garde d'Haïti in January 1922 and served there until October 1923, when he returned to the United States. He was assigned back to the Marine Barracks Quantico after his arrival, but at the beginning of April 1924, Curtis was transferred to the

Naval Submarine Base New London Naval Submarine Base New London is the primary United States Navy East Coast submarine base, also known as the "Home of the Submarine Force." It is located in Groton, Connecticut directly across the Thames River from its namesake city of New L ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

, where he was appointed commanding officer of the local Marine detachment. He was later transferred at

Headquarters Marine Corps Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) is a headquarters staff within the Department of the Navy which includes the offices of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and various staff functions. The function, ...

in Washington, D.C., where he was assigned to the Paymaster's Office. During his duties in Washington, D.C., Curtis attended

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...

and earned a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

degree in 1927. As a lawyer, he was a member of the bar in California.

World War II

Curtis was appointed executive officer of the Paymaster's at

in Washington, D.C., and served there until December 1944 under the command of Brigadier General Raymond R. Wright. During his time in this capacity, he was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

on April 29, 1942. Curtis was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in December 1944 and appointed paymaster within Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. He was stationed at

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and later also participated in Philippines Campaign. For his service in this capacity, he was decorated with the Navy Commendation Medal. Curtis returned to

in Washington, D.C., in August 1946 and was appointed chief of disbursing branch. He was responsible for Naval rating and for maintaining of personnel records, preparing reports and accomplishing accounting procedures. Curtis served in this capacity until his retirement from the Marine Corps in June 1949.

Later life

In 1960, the Constitution Party put up retired Marine Corps Brigadier General Merritt B. Curtis for president, and B. N. Miller for vice-president in the state of Washington. Curtis received 1,401 votes for 0.11% of the Washington vote.1960 Results
from uselectionaltas.org Curtis received 18,162 votes as a candidate for vice-president in Texas, and 1,767 votes in Michigan. Curtis died in 1966 while a resident of Washington, D.C., and is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Brigadier General Merritt B. Curtis:

Footnotes

References