John J. Pershing

**John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing** (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), was a general officer in the United States Army. He led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. Pershing is the only person to be promoted in his own lifetime to the highest rank ever held in the United States Army, which is known as General of the Armies. (A retroactive Congressional edict passed in 1976 promoted George Washington to the same rank but with higher seniority).

Pershing holds the first United States officer service number (O-1). He was regarded as a mentor by the generation of American generals who led the United States Army in Europe during World War II, including George C. Marshall, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar N. Bradley, and George S. Patton.

### Dates of rank

|_No Insignia in 1886_|Second Lieutenant, United States Army: July 1, 1886|
| --- | --- |
||First Lieutenant, United States Army: October 20, 1892|
||Major of Volunteers, U.S. Army: August 18, 1898 - June 30, 1901|
||Captain, U.S. Army (reverted to permanent rank July 1, 1901): February 2, 1901|
||Brigadier General, United States Army: September 1906|
||Major General, United States Army: May 1916|
||General, National Army, Army of the United States: October 1917|
||General of the Armies of the United States, Army of the United States: September 3, 1919 As there was no prescribed insignia for this rank, General Pershing chose the four stars of a full general, except in gold. The rank has been argued to be equivalent to "6-star" general, as the insignia of the next lowest rank "General of the Army" is designated by five stars.  According to the biography _Until the Last Trumpet Sounds_ by Gene Smith, Pershing never wore the rank on his uniform.|

### Assignment history

- 1882: Cadet, United States Military Academy
- 1886: Troop L, Sixth Cavalry
- 1891: Professor of Tactics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- 1895: 1st Lieutenant, 10th Cavalry Regiment
- 1897: Instructor, United States Military Academy, West Point
- 1898: Major of Volunteer Forces, Cuban Campaign, Spanish–American War
- 1899: Officer-in-Charge, Office of Customs and Insular Affairs
- 1900: Adjutant General, Department of Mindanao and Jolo, Philippines
- 1901: Battalion Officer, 1st Cavalry and Intelligence Officer, 15th Cavalry (Philippines)
- 1902: Officer-in-Charge, Camp Vicars, Philippines
- 1904: Assistant Chief of Staff, Southwest Army Division, Oklahoma
- 1905: Military attaché, U.S. Embassy, Tokyo, Japan
- 1908: Military Advisor to American Embassy, France
- 1909: Commander of Fort McKinley, Manila, and governor of Moro Province
- 1914: Brigade Commander, 8th Army Brigade
- 1916: Commanding General, Mexican Punitive Expedition
- 1917: Commanding General for the formation of the National Army
- 1917: Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces, Europe
- 1921: Chief of Staff of the United States Army
- 1924: Retired from active military service
- 1925: Chief Commissioner assigned by the United States in the arbitration case for the provinces of Tacna and Arica between Peru and Chile.

## References

- Notes

- Sources
- Further reading
- Richard Goldhurst, _Pipe Clay and Drill: John J. Pershing, the classic American soldier,_ (Reader's Digest Press, 1977)
- Gene Smith, _Until the Last Trumpet Sounds: The Life of General of the Armies John J. Pershing_ (Wiley, New York, 1998)
- Donald Smythe, _Guerrilla Warrior: The Early Life of John J. Pershing_ (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1973)
- Donald Smythe, _Pershing: General of the Armies_ (Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 1986)
- Frank E. Vandiver, _Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing - Volume I_ (Texas A&M University Press, Third printing, 1977)
- Frank E. Vandiver, _Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing - Volume II_ (Texas A&M University Press, Third printing, 1977)

## Other websites

- Pershing Museum
- Biography of John J. Pershing
- _New York Times_ obituary
- Black Jack Pershing in Cuba
- CHAPTER IV, General of the Armies John J. Pershing, State Funeral, 15-19 July 1948  in The Last Salute: Civil and Military Funeral, 1921-1969  by B. C. Mossman and M. W. Stark, United States Army Center of Military History

## Infobox (military person)

- **name**: John Joseph Pershing
- **nickname**: Black Jack
- **birth place**: Laclede, Missouri
- **death place**: Walter Reed General Hospital
Washington, D.C.
- **placeofburial**: Arlington National Cemetery
- **image**: General John Joseph Pershing head on shoulders.jpg
- **image size**: 225
- **signature**: John J Pershing Signature.svg
- **signature size**: 175
- **allegiance**: United States
- **serviceyears**: 1886–1924
- **rank**:  General of the Armies
- **servicenumber**: O-1
- **commands**: 8th Brigade
American Expeditionary Force
First United States Army
Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Army Chief of Staff
Mexican Border Service, Mexican Expedition
- **battles**: **Indian Wars**
*Apache Wars
*Sioux Wars
**Spanish–American War**
*Battle of San Juan Hill
**Philippine–American War**
*Moro Rebellion
**Russo-Japanese War**

**Mexican Revolution**
*Pancho Villa Expedition
**World War I**
*Western Front (World War I), Western Front
- **awards**: Distinguished Service Cross (United States), Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Medal (Army), Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Légion d'honneur