Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-02
.LADUE TO ASSUME
DISTRICT ENGINEER
POST ON June q.
New Commissioner First Of.
ficer of Rank of Colonel
to Be Chosen.
SERVING AT PRESENT
ON GOVERNORS ISLAND
Lieut.. Col. Bell, on Way to Pan.
anna, Is Expected to Return to
Capital Early in May.

Col. William B. Ladue. considered
as one of the ablest officers i'm the
Army Engineer Corps, and now on
DUTY as engineer officer on the staff
OF the commanding officer, Second
Corps Area, Governors Island, New
ork, was detailed yesterday after
noon by President Coolidge to the
post OF Engineer Commissioner of the
District, succeeding Lieut.. Col. !.
Franklin Bell, whose duty expires in
June. Col. Ladue is the first officer
of the rank of colonel ever to be
named for the post here.
Col. Ladue will enter upon his new
| assignment June 81, the date of the
expiration OF Lieut.. Col. Bells detail.
Lieut.. Col. Bell now is en- route To
Panama aboard a Government trans
| port. where he plans to make study
of the various problems in connec-
ton with the maintenance of the
canal locks. He probably will return
TO Washington the first part of May
Before his departure Lieut.. Col.
| Bell sent to the office of the chief
of engineers list bearing the names
of six officers of the Army whom he
believed should be considered for his
! post as Engineer Commissioners. On
| this list were the names of Maj. w
! f.. r. Covell, Acting Engineer Com.
| missioner, and two former Assistant
! Engineer Commissioners. Majs. Ray.
| mond A. Wheeler and Carey III.
| Brown.
| Surprise Greets News.
Surprise greeted the announcement
| regarding Col. Ladues selection in
many quarters of the Army, where
| 1t had been thought younger man
| would be given the post. Col Ladue
will be SO years old i'm few months
! Responding to a request from the
1 White House, Mai. Gen. Edgar Jad-
| win submitted the name Of Col. Ladue
| through the War Department, with a
| recommendation that he be detailed.
and it is understood that several other
/ officials in the War Department
familiar with the colonels work.
| placed hearty Endorsement thereon.
Friends of Col. Ladue here today
| rejoiced over the appointment Of their
fellow officer and held out to the cit
izens of the District the promise that
he would serve them with the faithful.
mess and devotion to duty which has
characterized his entire career in the.
Army Engineers.
Fifth on List.
| Col. I.adue is the highest ranking
! officer yet to be selected for the post,
his standing on the list of colonels
In the Engineers being fifth. This
fact today was emphasized as evidence
of the growing Importance with which
| the Engineer Corps regards the Office
of Engineer Commissioner, and 1t was
added that when the recommendation
was requested nothing was spared
In an effort to select the man who
would be OF the greatest possible bene-
tit to the District government.
we are proud of the part we can
| play in the affairs of the District by
| contributing an engineer" said one
| official today, land we determined that
the best man available for that duty
would be selected even though we are
making a great sacrifice by removing
| him from his present detail"
| Col. Ladue, in addition to being on
/ the staff of Maj. Gen. James III. Me-
Rae, commanding the I'd Corps
| Area, has the additional and by far
greater duty of division engineer.
| which includes all engineer districts
from Maine to the District of Coluni.
hia over which he has supervision and
control. New York harbor is under his
jurisdiction, among other things, and
he is the highest ranking engineer in
that city.
Is Hard Worker.
Col. Ladue is famed throughout the
service as a worker of the hardest
type. He places duty above all else.
his friends say of him. and expecta
the same from those who serve with
and under him.
OF pleasing personality, Col. Ladue
is unassuming, which, it was declared
of him, is his outstanding characters
istic. He is not the f1ashy. hand.
shaking, back-slapping type" said one
of his fellow officers today, but he win
meet the public of Washington and
work hard for it. The District needs
just such a man, it was added, and as
the Engineer Corps always has been
proud of him, so will Washington,
when they see this officer working In
the harness.
Col. Ladue will be available for duty
here for the next four years. Although
the greater part of his New York de-
tail has been district engineering work,
yet his assignment to the staff of Gen.
McRae places him In the role of serv-
ing with troops, department re-
quirement, which brought about the
detail of Lieut.. Col. Bell to yet uns
named post.
Tall and Slender.
Col. Ladue is tail, slender and dark
complexioned, and, a fellow officer
who was describing him said, You
would never think he was so close to
60 don't know what he does to keep
himself in such a youthful and splendid
condition. unless 1t is just hard work =
This same officer said that Col. La
due is not .speechmake- at ALL" but
added that that would not 5ssxAct from
his value to the Office of which he Is
to take command.
Col. I1adue was born at Adrian.
Mich, November 26. 1868, and attend
ed the University of Minnesota. from
which he was graduated In 1889 with
the degree of bachelor of arts. One
year later he was appointed to the
United States Military Academy from
Oregon and graduated No. / In bis
class on June IL, 1894. His splendid
scholastic record. making him first OF
the 81 members, brought him an an
pointment to the Corps of Engineers
West Point INSTRUCTOR.
During the Spanish War
Col. Ladue was engaged on the sub
marine mine defense OF Narragansetf
Bay. and on the construction of NOR
tar batteries at Dutch Island (noW
Fort Greble, R. XII
From June. 1901, to June, 1903, C6I.
CONTINUED on Page 2. cplilmn ~