Maurice Edwin Shearer (December 19, 1879 – June 26, 1953) was a highly decorated Brigadier General in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

. In 1918,

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Shearer of the 5th Marine Regiment, led Marines in the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Battle of Belleau Wood The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) was a major battle that occurred during the German spring offensive in World War I, near the Marne (river), Marne River in France. The battle was fought by the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division (United State ...

in France, where he was awarded the Navy Cross, Distinguished Service Cross,

Navy Distinguished Service Medal The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919 and is presented to Sailors and Marines to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritorio ...

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

, French

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

(Chevalier) and

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

Early life and education

Shearer was born on December 19, 1879, to Mary Jane McClelland and Samuel Henry Shearer. He attended Shortridge High School in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, but dropped out before graduation to join the 27th Indiana Battery Light Infantry, in which he served during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. After leaving the battery, he moved to Ohio and served as a manager for a contracting company.

Marine Corps career

In 1901, Shearer enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and rose to the rank of

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. He received a commission as an officer in 1905, scoring fourth in his commission exams. Immediately following commission, he attended the School of Application at

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, with classmates Holland Smith, Ralph S. Keyser and Andrew B. Drum. In July, Shearer sailed for duty to be the commander of the 35 man Marine detachment on Midway Island. In May 1908, he was selected for promotion to first lieutenant and to the rank of captain in June 1916. During World War I, forces under Major Shearer's command made an attack on Belleau Wood, finally clearing that forest of Germans. On 26 June 1918, he sent a now famous report: "Woods now U.S. Marine Corps entirely," ending one of the bloodiest and most ferocious battles U.S. forces would fight in the war. Following his return to the United States, Shearer was reverted to the rank of captain and served with the Marine Recruiting Station 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 Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. He was promoted to the permanent rank of major on June 4, 1920, and served as officer in charge of the recruit station in Detroit until September 1922. He was subsequently ordered to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and appointed the Marine aide to

Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...

Edwin Denby. His duty in Washington ended in September 1923, when he was attached to the 1st Marine Brigade and sailed to

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

in order to support government forces against rebels. Shearer served in the Caribbean until September 1925 and after two-years tour of duty in the United States, he sailed to

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

as a member of the 5th Marine Regiment in June 1927. Following his return one year later, Shearer served with the Marine Barracks Parris Island,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, and on the staff of Marine Corps Schools, Quantico and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in October 1930. Shearer served as commanding officer of the Marine barracks at Charleston Naval Shipyard,

, until January 1937, when he was ordered to

, and attached to the Adjutant and Inspector's Department at

Headquarters Marine Corps The 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 funct ...

under Brigadier General Clayton B. Vogel. Shearer was promoted to the rank of colonel in November 1937. During World War II, Shearer remained in active service with the rank of colonel and served as commanding officer of the Marine barracks within Mare Island Naval Shipyard,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He also held additional duty as commanding officer of 12th Marine Reserve District and finally retired from the Marine Corps on January 1, 1944. Shearer was advanced to the rank of brigadier general on the retired list for having been specially commended in combat.

Personal life

On December 28, 1908, Shearer married his first wife, Madeline M. Brown, the daughter of astronomer Stimson Joseph Brown. On June 6, 1928, he married Nancy ''Caperton'' Shepard, the widow of fellow Marine Ralph Lunt Shepard. Maurice Shearer died in 1953, and is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shearer, Maurice Edwin 1879 births 1953 deaths People from Marion County, Indiana United States Marine Corps generals United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I United States Marine Corps World War II generals Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Silver Star Knights of the Legion of Honour American recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Shortridge High School alumni American military personnel of the Spanish–American War