Erasmus Morgan Weaver Jr. (May 23, 1854 – November 13, 1920) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

who served as the first chief of the

Militia Bureau The National Guard Bureau is the federal instrument responsible for the administration of the National Guard established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was crea ...

and the Chief of the Army's

Coast Artillery Corps The U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps (CAC) was an administrative corps responsible for coastal, harbor, and anti-aircraft defense of the United States and its possessions between 1901 and 1950. The CAC also operated heavy and railway artillery d ...

Biography

The son of Erasmus M. Weaver, a prominent businessman of

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, Indiana, West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home t ...

, Erasmus Morgan Weaver Jr. was born in Lafayette on May 23, 1854. He graduated 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 ...

in 1875 and received his commission as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1 ...

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieg ...

. Weaver's subsequent assignments included Professor of Military Science at

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

and

The Citadel The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. ...

(1883–1885), and Instructor in Chemistry and Electricity at the United States Military Academy (1888–1891). From 1895 to 1896, Weaver studied at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern t ...

. In 1898 Weaver was appointed to the temporary grade of lieutenant colonel of the 5th Massachusetts Infantry, a volunteer regiment raised during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cl ...

. Initially the organization's mustering officer, he subsequently commanded its 1st Battalion. From 1908 to 1911, Weaver served as head of the Army's Militia Bureau, the first person to hold the position. In this assignment, he was responsible for overseeing the training and readiness of the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. N ...

. Weaver was the Chief of the Coast Artillery Corps from 1911 until his retirement in 1918, when he was succeeded by

Frank W. Coe Frank W. Coe (November 27, 1870 – May 25, 1947) was a major general in the United States Army. He is notable for having served as the Chief of Coast Artillery. Early life Frank Winston Coe was born in Manhattan, Kansas on November 27, 1870. H ...

. He was promoted to

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 appointed t ...

in 1911 and major general in 1916. From 1917 until his retirement he also served as a member of the War Council that the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * De ...

created to oversee planning for

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, ...

. Weaver died in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, on November 13, 1920. He is 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 ...

, Section SE, Site 1800. General Weaver was the father of Major General

Walter Reed Weaver Walter Reed Weaver (February 23, 1885October 27, 1944) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of major general and was prominent for serving in several United States Army Air Forces command positions during Worl ...

(1885–1944). Hawaii's Fort Weaver and

Fort Weaver Road Route 76 or Fort Weaver Road is a major north–south highway on the island of Oahu which begins at Interstate H-1 (H-1) in Waipahu and ends in Ewa Beach. Route description Route 76 is the main thoroughfare from the Ewa Beach community to H-1. ...

were named for him.''Prescott Evening Courier''
"Forts Named in Honor of Dead in War"
Associated Press, May 30, 1922

References

Sources

''The New York Times'', May 22, 1918 {{DEFAULTSORT:Weaver, Erasmus M. Jr. 1854 births 1920 deaths Military personnel from Indiana United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel People from Lafayette, Indiana Military personnel from Washington, D.C. United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Coast Artillery Corps personnel Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Chiefs of the National Guard Bureau American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery