Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-28
GEN. BARNETT DIES
AT NAVAL HOSPITAL
War Commander of Marine
Corps Under Treatment
for Nine Months.

NAL Gen. George Barnett who as
comnaandant of the United States Ma
rine Corps during the World War
helped write vivid pages in the history
of that conflict, and under whose COM
mand the American sea soldiers came
to be known as the devil dogs" of
Belleau Wood and the Argonne Forest,
died yesterday afternoon, shortly after
4 o'clock, at the United States Naval
Hospital
Suffering from heart trouble, Gen.
Barnett had been under treatment at
the hospital for about nine months.
His condition became critical last
Thursday, when he contracted pneu-
monia.
with the veteran fighting man at
his bedside when the end came were
his wife, stepson, Basil Gordon:
stepdaughter, Mrs. Henry Suydam, and
q sister and brother-in-law, Mr.. and
Mrs. Arthur Nixon, of Minneapolis.
Gen. Barnett's death had been expect
ed for many hours.
Funeral services for Gen. Barnett will
be held Wednesday morning at II
o'clock at the Church Of the Epiphany,
the Rev. 2. Barney Phillips, rector, Of
ficiating.
Burial in Arlington.
Burial will be in Arlington National
Cemetery with military honors. The
body will be laid to rest in the plot re-
served for the members of the class of
1881 of the United States Naval
Academy.
The pallbearers will include all the
available members of the class of 1881
and in addition these officers of the Ma
rine Corps stationed in Washington:
Brig. Gen. Charles L. McCawley, re-
tired; Brig. Gen. George Richards, Brig.
Gen. B. H. Fuller, Brig. Gen. John T.
Myers, Brig. Gen. Rufus H. Lane and
Brig. Gen. Hugh Matthews. Other
names will be added, the announcement
said, as soon as the officers are heard
from.
DR.. Phillips will be assisted by Capt.
Sydney K. Evans, chief of chaplains of
the Navy.
Mrs. Barnett has requested all close
friends Of Gen. Barnett to come to the
home at 10:15 Wednesday morning.
Gen. Barnett had spent many of the
years of his later life in Washington
and at the time of his death main
tanned residence at 1712 R street.
Stricken Last August.
His heart trouble necessitated treat
ment at the Naval Hospital last August
He entered the hospital December 8
and, except for brief intervals at home,
had been confined there up to the time
Of his death.
Gen. Barnett was born in Lancaster,
Wis. December 9, 1859. He sought APP
pointnlent to West Point, but was UNI
able to get it, and entered the Naval
Academy from Wisconsin, completing
his course in 1881.
He served in practically every Marine
post in the United States, spent many
years aboard the fighting ships of the
Navy and saw service in Marine out
posts In Panama, the Philippines, Cuba,
China and Porto Rico.
When he took over the command of
the Marines 1t was a small force of ap-
proximately 10000 enlisted men and
less than 400 officers and under his
command it grew to 10000 enlisted men.
Decorated by France.
Gen. Barnett was awarded the Legion
of Honor Medal Of France. For his
war service the United States awarded
him the Distinguished Service Medal.
He also held the Cuban Campaign
Medal, the Spanish Campaign Medal,
the West Indian Campaign Medal and
the Victory Medal.
He served as conmandant of the Ma
rine Corps from February 25, 1914, to
June 30, 1920 Later he was COM
mander of the Marine Corps Pacific
Department.
He was married to Mrs. Basil Gordon,
formerly Miss Leila Montague OF Balt-
more, in 1908.
In the World War Gen. Barnett also
was a member of the General Board Of
the Navy and of the Secretary of the
Nays Advisory Council, and in those
two positions had q big part In the
manning of plans to win the war.