Charles Ruggles Boardman (October 28, 1860April 5, 1950) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

journalist, businessman, and

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...

officer. He served 16 years as Adjutant General of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

(1897–1913) and commanded the 64th Brigade of U.S. Infantry during . In civilian life, he was a founder and president of the Wisconsin National Life Insurance Company.

Early life and education

Charles Ruggles Boardman was born in

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

Fond du Lac County Fond du Lac County () is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 104,154. Its county seat is Fond du Lac. The county was created in the Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and later organized in 1844. Fond d ...

, on October 28, 1860, to Colonel Napoleon Boardman and his wife Mary Louise (' Tallmadge). He attended Fond du Lac High School, graduating in 1878. He attended the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1884.

Civilian career

Boardman moved to

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the western shore of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 66,816 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List o ...

, in 1884 after graduating from the University of Wisconsin. In 1884, he was the city editor for the ''

Daily Northwestern ''The Daily Northwestern'' is the student newspaper at Northwestern University which is published in print on Mondays and Thursdays and online daily during the academic year. Founded in 1881, and printed in Evanston, Illinois, it is staffed prim ...

'', the main daily newspaper in Oshkosh. In 1889, he became the secretary-treasurer of the paper. From 1884 to 1887, he also served as the newspaper's business manager. In 1895, he helped found the Wisconsin National Life Insurance Company. He served as president of the company from 1908 to 1946. and president of the Globe Printing Company.

Military career

In 1879, he enlisted in the

Wisconsin National Guard The Wisconsin National Guard consists of the Wisconsin Army National Guard and the Wisconsin Air National Guard. It is a part of the Government of Wisconsin under the control of the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs. The Wisconsin Nation ...

, joining a company called the "Fond du Lac Guards" as a private. In 1885, he was promoted to captain. By 1889, he had received a promotion to major. On January 4, 1897, he was appointed Adjutant General of Wisconsin by Governor

Edward Scofield Edward Scofield (March 28, 1842February 3, 1925) was an American lumberman and Republican Party (United States), Republican politician. He was the 19th governor of Wisconsin (1897–1901) and served in the Wisconsin State Senate, representin ...

. He retired on October 1, 1913. He transferred to the National Guard Reserve on May 1, 1917, and was given command of the First Wisconsin Infantry Brigade. He was sent to France during World War I. While overseas, he commanded the 64th Infantry Brigade as a brigadier general of the 32nd Infantry Division. He was relieved by General

John A. Lejeune John Archer Lejeune (Luh-ZHOON) ( ; January 10, 1867 – November 20, 1942) was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general and the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Lejeune served for nearly 40 years in the military, and commanded the U. ...

on August 11, 1918. On August 13, 1918, he received an honorable discharge. He served for a total of thirty-eight years and was one of the oldest American general officers during World War I.

Personal life

Boardman's maternal grandfather was Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, who served as a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from

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and was the 3rd Governor of the Wisconsin Territory. He married Adelaide Ryan Paige on July 13, 1888. Together, they had a son, Robert Paige Boardman, who was also an Army officer. His wife died in 1934.

Death and legacy

He died on April 5, 1950, in Oshkosh. He was interred at Riverside Cemetery in Oshkosh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boardman, Charles R. 1860 births 1950 deaths Wisconsin National Guard personnel People from Empire, Wisconsin People from Oshkosh, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Editors of Wisconsin newspapers Journalists from Wisconsin Adjutants General of Wisconsin Military personnel from Wisconsin United States Army generals National Guard (United States) generals United States Army generals of World War I Burials at Riverside Cemetery (Oshkosh, Wisconsin)