Edward Thomas Williams (1901–1973) was a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He gained prominence as chief of artillery for the

Third United States Army Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...

in Europe during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, commander of the United States Army Field Artillery Center, and commander of the

Fourth United States Army Fourth United States Army was a field army of the United States Army between 1932 and 1991. History Interwar period Fourth Army (I) The Fourth Army was authorized by the National Defense Act of 1920 and was originally to be composed of Organ ...

Early life

Williams was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Michigan, on 6 February 1901. He graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

at West Point in 1920.Social Security Death Index

Early career

In 1921 Williams graduated from the Field Artillery Basic Course. Williams served in artillery assignments of increasing rank and responsibility throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including a posting to

Schofield Barracks, Hawaii Schofield Barracks is a United States Army installation and census-designated place (CDP) located in Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Hawaii. Schofield Barracks lies adjacent to the town of Wahiawā, separated ...

, as a member of the

13th Field Artillery Regiment The 13th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1916. History The 13th Field Artillery was constituted 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army at Camp Stewart, Texas. Lineage Constituted 1 ...

, assignment to

Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at APG. There are 11 major commands among the tenant units, ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, and a position as an instructor at

Fort Sill, Oklahoma Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (137 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark an ...

. In 1939 Williams graduated from the

Command and General Staff College 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 ...

World War II

Williams served as commander of the

Artillery during

, taking part in operations throughout Europe after the

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

invasion and earning the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation, state or country. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in act ...

Post World War II

From 1950 to 1952 Williams was assigned as deputy chief of staff for operations at the U.S. Army European Command. Williams served as chief of staff for U.S. Army, Europe from 1952 to 1953. In 1953 Williams was appointed deputy commander of the

, serving until 1954. Williams was then named commander of the United States Army Field Artillery Center, serving from 1954 to 1956. In 1956 Williams was named deputy commander of the

Continental Army Command Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

, a position he held until 1959. In 1958 he chaired the Williams Board, which reviewed and recommended changes to the Army's professional education system for officers. Williams was selected to command the

in 1959, and he served in this post until his retirement. While commanding the Fourth Army Williams represented the United States at the funeral of Walter Williams of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, who claimed to have been a Confederate soldier and the last living

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

veteran.

Retirement and awards

General Williams retired in 1961. His awards and decorations included two Distinguished Service Medals, the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

and the Order of the Patriotic War First Class (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).

Death and burial

Williams died on 14 October 1973, in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

. He was buried at

Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as of 2014, had over 144,000 interments. The cemetery was list ...

, Section PA, Site 249-C.Nationwide Gravesite Locator
, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Edward Thomas 1901 births United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Military personnel from Detroit Military personnel from San Antonio 1973 deaths Burials at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery United States Army generals of World War II