Chester Victor Clifton Jr.

Chester Victor Clifton Jr. (September 24, 1913 – December 23, 1991) was a major general in the United States Army and an aide to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Biography
Clifton was born in Edmonton, Alberta, to American parents. They moved back to the United States, settling in Puyallup, Washington. He graduated from high school in 1930 and worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as a cub reporter for two years while attending the University of Washington. He later graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with an M.A. degree in journalism in June 1948. As a civilian he also worked as a reporter for the New York Herald Tribune and later worked in public relations and management. He co-authored the book The Memories: J.F.K., 1961–1963 with Cecil W. Stoughton and was a public relations consultant in the development of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Clifton died of pneumonia after an intestinal operation at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on December 23, 1991, and was survived by his widow, Anne Bodine (1915–2009). He and Anne are interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
Career
Clifton entered the United States Military Academy in July 1932 and graduated with a B.S. degree in June 1936. During World War II he served in the Field Artillery in Italy, France and Germany, earning the Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star Medal, the French Croix de Guerre and the Italian Cross of Valor. Following the war Clifton was assigned to Army Headquarters to work on public relations and later became an assistant to Omar Bradley. In 1954, he graduated from the National War College. In 1956, he became Chief of Information of the Army.
Clifton joined the Kennedy administration in 1961 as senior military aide. In this position Clifton was responsible for Kennedy's daily intelligence briefings on world events. He was in the motorcade in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, when Kennedy was shot. Following the assassination, Clifton was in charge of dealing with military and national security affairs from the aftermath. He retained this position in the Johnson administration until his retirement from the Army in 1965. Clifton was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his accomplishments as a general officer from March 1957 to July 1965.
Awards
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Croix de Guerre (France)
War Cross of Military Valor (Italy)
References
External links
Conversations recorded aboard Air Force One on November 22, 1963 — digitized audio from original 1/4" reel-to-reel tapes discovered among the memorabilia of Chester Clifton Jr.
1913 births
1991 deaths
People from Puyallup, Washington
Seattle Post-Intelligencer people
University of Washington alumni
United States Military Academy alumni
United States Army personnel of World War II
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)
Recipients of the War Cross for Military Valor
University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication alumni
National War College alumni
United States Army generals
Kennedy administration personnel
Lyndon B. Johnson administration personnel
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
New York Herald Tribune people
Writers from Edmonton
20th-century American writers
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery