General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Wade Hampton Haislip (July 9, 1889 – December 23, 1971) was a senior

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, ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

who served in both

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, ...

and

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 ...

, where he led the

XV Corps 15th Corps, Fifteenth Corps, or XV Corps may refer to: * XV Corps (British India) *XV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I *15th Army Corps (Russian Empire), a unit in World War I * XV Royal Bav ...

in the campaign in Western Europe from 1944 to 1945. He later became a four-star general, serving as

Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army The vice chief of staff of the Army (VCSA) is the principal deputy to the chief of staff of the Army, and is the second-highest-ranking officer on active duty in the Department of the Army. The vice chief of staff generally handles the day-to-d ...

(VCSA) from 1949 to 1951.

Military career

Wade Hampton Haislip (1889–1971) at West Point in 1912

Haislip was born in

Woodstock, Virginia Woodstock is a town and the county seat of Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States. It has a population of 5,212 according to the 2017 census. Woodstock comprises 3.2 square miles of incorporated area of the town, and is located along the ...

, on July 9, 1889, and moved at age two to

Staunton, Virginia Staunton ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities are separate jurisdictions from the counties that surround them, so the government off ...

. He was commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry upon graduating from 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 ...

at West Point in 1912. Among his fellow graduates included several future

general officer A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

s like

Walton Walker Walton Harris Walker (December 3, 1889 – December 23, 1950) was a United States Army four-star general who served with distinction in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, where he commanded the Eighth United States Army before dyin ...

John Shirley Wood Major General John Shirley Wood (January 11, 1888 – July 2, 1966) was a United States Army officer who served in World War I and World War II. He is most notable for training and commanding the 4th Armored Division, which spearheaded General G ...

, Gilbert R. Cook, Harry J. Malony, William H. Wilbur,

Walter M. Robertson Major General Walter Melville Robertson (June 15, 1888 – November 22, 1954) was a senior United States Army officer. During World War II he received the second highest American military award, Distinguished Service Cross, for his leadership of ...

, Franklin C. Sibert and

Raymond O. Barton Major General Raymond Oscar "Tubby" Barton (August 22, 1889 – February 27, 1963) was a career officer in the United States Army and combat commander in World War I and World War II. As commander of the 4th Infantry Division during World War ...

. Haislip served in Vera Cruz, Mexico, in 1914 after the

Tampico Affair The Tampico Affair began as a minor incident involving U.S. Navy sailors and the Mexican Federal Army loyal to Mexican dictator General Victoriano Huerta. On April 9, 1914, nine sailors had come ashore to secure supplies and were detained by M ...

. From 1917 to 1921, he served with the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought along ...

, first in World War I, then in the occupation of Germany. During his time overseas his assignments included being on the General Staff of

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army ...

; Division Machine Gun Officer for the 3rd Division, and General Staff, U.S. Forces in Germany. During World War I he participated in the

Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States agai ...

and the

Meuse–Argonne Offensive The Meuse–Argonne offensive (also known as the Meuse River–Argonne Forest offensive, the Battles of the Meuse–Argonne, and the Meuse–Argonne campaign) was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along t ...

He returned to West Point as an instructor from 1921 to 1923. He next attended a series of schools, beginning with the

U.S. Army Infantry School The United States Army Infantry School is a school located at Fort Benning, Georgia that is dedicated to training infantrymen for service in the United States Army. Organization The school is made up of the following components: * 197th Infantr ...

from 1923 to 1924, then the

Command and General Staff School The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

from 1924 to 1925, and finally going back overseas to attend the French

École supérieure de guerre The ''École supérieure de guerre'' ("Superior School of Warfare") was the most senior military education institute and staff college of the French Army, from 1876 until 1993, when it was merged into the inter-service ' (Joint Defense College), wh ...

from 1925 to 1927. He returned to the United States as assistant executive in the office of Assistant Secretary of War from 1928 to 1931, followed by the Army War College from 1931 to 1932, and an assignment as an instructor at the Command and General Staff School from 1932 to 1936. Prior to World War II he held a series of staff assignments, including time in the Budget and Legislative Planning Branch of the War Department General Staff from 1938 to 1941, and Assistant Chief-of-Staff for personnel. In World War II he served very briefly as assistant division commander (ADC) of the 4th Infantry Division. He organized the 85th Infantry Division and served as commander from April 1942 to February 1943 until he was succeeded by Brigadier General

John B. Coulter Lieutenant General John Breitling Coulter (April 27, 1891 – March 6, 1983) was a senior United States Army officer. Enjoying a distinguished 40-year military career, Coulter served during World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Early ...

, his ADC. He next took command of

and served with it through Normandy, France, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns. He became commander of

Seventh United States Army The Seventh Army was a United States army created during World War II that evolved into the United States Army Europe (USAREUR) during the 1950s and 1960s. It served in North Africa and Italy in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and Fran ...

, and was in that billet when World War II ended in August 1945. Coolidge313645

Following the war he was on the Secretary of War's Personnel Board from September 1945 to April 1946, and a senior member of the Chief-of-Staff's Advisory Group from 1946 to 1948. Prior to his selection in 1949 as Vice Chief of Staff he was Deputy Chief-of-Staff for administration, 1948–49. He retired in 1951. Haislip is responsible for introducing Dwight D. Eisenhower to

Mamie Doud Mary Geneva "Mamie" Eisenhower (; November 14, 1896 – November 1, 1979) was the first lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961 as the wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Born in Boone, Iowa, she was raised in a wealthy household in ...

. Eisenhower was a second lieutenant and Haislip a first lieutenant at

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

at the time. At Eisenhower's funeral, he served as a pall-bearer.

Major assignments

* Assistant Chief-of-Staff for personnel – February 9, 1941 to January 19, 1942 * Assistant Division Commander, 4th Motorized Division – January 20, 1942 to March 9, 1942 * Commander, 85th Infantry Division – March 9, 1942 to February 22, 1943 * Commander,

– February 23, 1943 to June 1, 1945 * Commander,

– June 2, 1945 to July 23, 1946 * President, Secretary of War's Personnel Board – August 23, 1945 to April 30, 1946 * Senior member of the Chief-of-Staff's Advisory Group – May 15, 1946 to June 1, 1948 * Special Assistant to the Chief-of-Staff, U.S. Army – June 1, 1948 to November 15, 1948 * Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Administration – November 15, 1948 to August 23, 1949. *

– August 23, 1949 to July 31, 1951

Post military career

After retiring from active duty in 1951, Haislip went on to become Governor of the

Soldier's Home "Soldier's Home" is a short story by Ernest Hemingway. It was included in the 1925 ''Contact Collection of Contemporary Writers'' and published by Boni & Liveright in Hemingway's 1925 New York collection short stories, '' In Our Time''.Oliver, (1 ...

in Washington, D.C., a position he filled from 1951 to 1966. Haislip died on December 23, 1971, at

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC)known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in the District of Columbia, it served more than 150,000 active and ret ...

after suffering a stroke, and was buried in

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 ...

. His wife, the former Alice Jennings Shepherd (1897–1987), whom he had married on July 14, 1932, was later buried beside him.

Dates of rank

Source:

References

External links

Generals of World War II
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Haislip, Wade H. 1889 births 1971 deaths United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army Command and General Staff College faculty Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from Virginia People from Staunton, Virginia People from Woodstock, Virginia Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army Vice Chiefs of Staff United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals of World War II United States Army generals United States Military Academy faculty