John A . Lejeune Lieutenant General John Archer Lejeune , ( January 10 , 1867 – November 20 , 1942 ) was the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps . Known as the " greatest of all Leathernecks " and the " Marine ' s Marine " , he served for nearly 40 years . His service included commanding the U . S . Army ' s 2nd Infantry Division during World War I and culminated with his service as the 5th Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute . Biography . Lejeune ( pronounced luh - jern , not lah - Joon ) was born on January 10 , 1867 at the Old Hickory Plantation near Lacour , Louisiana in Pointe Coupee Parish . He was the son of Confederate States Army Captain Ovide Lejeune . He attended the preparatory program at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge from September 1881 to April 1884 , leaving to prepare for the entrance exam for the U . S . Naval Academy . Subsequently , he secured an appointment as a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy , from which he graduated in 1888 , ranking second academically in his class of thirty - two midshipmen . At the completion of a two - year cruise as a midshipman , he did not want a Navy career , but rather chose the Marine Corps . He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on 25 July 1890 . Marine Corps career . 1890s . After receiving his Marine Corps commission , Lejeune reported to Marine Barracks , New York on 31 March 1890 for Marine Corps " indoctrination and instruction " . He reported for duty to the Marine Barracks , Norfolk , Virginia , on 3 November 1890 . While in Norfolk , he met Ellie Harrison Murdaugh ; they were engaged just before he began his sea duty . From 1 October 1891 to 28 July 1893 , Lejeune served on board and was promoted to first lieutenant on 26 February 1892 . On 28 August 1893 , he reported for duty at the Norfolk Barracks , where he served until 31 July 1897 . While stationed in Norfolk again , he married Miss Murdaugh on 23 October 1895 . On 2 August 1897 , Lejeune assumed command of the Marine Guard of the , where he served throughout the Spanish - American War . On the morning of 9 August 1898 , he commanded the approximately 30 - man landing party at Cape San Juan , Puerto Rico that covered the withdrawal of 35 U . S . Navy bluejackets from and 60 civilian refugees from the town of Fajardo that had been quartered at the Cape San Juan Light that the sailors had defended against a force of approximately 200 Spanish troops and civil guard the previous night during the Battle of Fajardo . He was detached from " Cincinnati " on 17 February 1899 , and on 18 February 1899 , joined the to command the Marine Guard . He was promoted to captain on 3 March 1899 and left his position on the " Massachusetts " on 10 May 1900 . 1900 – 1916 . From 3 July 1900 to 12 November 1900 , Captain Lejeune performed recruiting duty at Boston , Massachusetts , and on 22 November 1900 reported at the Marine Barracks , Pensacola , Florida , to command the Marines . From 12 January 1903 to 21 January 1903 , Captain Lejeune was on duty at the Norfolk Barracks , going to recruiting duty at New York City on 26 January 1903 . He was promoted to Major on 3 March 1903 and was on duty at Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington , D . C . from 15 May 1903 to 8 August 1903 . On 8 August 1903 , Major Lejeune was ordered to to command the Marine Battalion on board that vessel , joining 16 August 1903 . On 23 October 1903 , the battalion , with Lejeune in command , was transferred to . From 16 December 1903 to 21 December 1904 , Major Lejeune was on duty ashore on the Isthmus of Panama in command of this battalion , leaving there on the latter date on board . From 27 January 1905 to 20 May 1906 , Lejeune served at the Marine Barracks , Washington , D . C . He then returned to Panama in command of a battalion of Marines from 29 May to 6 July 1906 , the battalion being transported both ways on board USS " Columbia " . This was detached duty , and on 29 March 1907 , Major Lejeune was detached from command of the Washington Barracks and ordered to the Philippines . His family — his wife and three daughters accompanied him on this overseas duty . Arriving in the Philippines on 2 May 1907 , Lejeune assumed command of the Marine Barracks and Naval Prison , Navy Yard , Cavite , on 6 May 1907 . He assumed command of the First Brigade of Marines on 15 June 1908 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 13 May 1909 . He was detached on 8 June 1909 and ordered to return to the United States . He then attended the U . S . Army War College , graduating in 1910 . Lieutenant Colonel Lejeune embarked on board on 26 May 1912 with the Second Regiment , First Provisional Brigade Marines for Cuba . He disembarked at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , on 8 June 1912 and was in command of the District of Santiago from 9 June , to 14 July 1912 . On 15 July 1912 , Lejeune embarked on board and sailed for Colón , Panama . July 18 – 29 , 1912 was spent at Camp Elliott , Panama . The Marine Corps Association was founded on April 25 , 1911 at Guantanamo Bay by the officers of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade , under command of Colonel Littleton W . T . Waller . Although the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade disbanded shortly after , the MCA remained active . Two years later , again at Guantanamo Bay , officers of the 2d Provisional Marine Brigade , commanded by Colonel Lincoln Karmany , formally organized the Marine Corps Association . Colonel Karmany appointed then - Lt . Colonel John A . Lejeune ( later the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps ) as its first head of the executive board . After returning to the United States , Lejeune was again called upon for expeditionary duty . He sailed from Philadelphia , 20 February 1913 as second in command of the First Regiment , Second Provisional Brigade Marines and disembarked 27 February 1913 , at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . Then - LtCol Lejeune became the first head of the Marine Corps Association with the goal of professional advancement among Marines . He returned to Philadelphia on board USS " Prairie " on 2 May 1913 . On 27 November 1913 , Lejeune sailed from New York with the 2nd Advanced Base Regiment , his ultimate destination Veracruz , Mexico , but returned to the United States to receive his promotion to colonel on 25 February 1914 . Colonel Lejeune and his unit eventually landed in Mexico on 22 April 1914 and participated in the United States occupation of Veracruz . He returned home in December 1914 , this time to report to Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington , D . C . , to become assistant to the Major General Commandant of the Marine Corps . He was promoted to brigadier general on 29 August 1916 . World War I . With the outbreak of World War I , Lejeune assumed command of the newly constructed Marine Barracks , Quantico , Virginia ; however , his overseas service was inevitable , and in June 1918 , he arrived at Brest , France . He was promoted to major general 1 July 1918 . Upon reporting to the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces , he was assigned to command a brigade of the 32nd Division and assumed command of the 4th Brigade of Marines of the 2nd Division immediately following the attack of the division in the Battle of Soissons . On 28 July 1918 , Major General Lejeune assumed command of the 2nd Division and remained in that capacity until August 1919 , when the unit was demobilized . He was the second Marine officer to hold an Army divisional command ( BG Charles A . Doyen was the first ) , and following the Armistice he led his division in the march into Germany . During that war , he was recognized by the French Government as a strategist and leader , as evidenced by the Legion of Honor , and the Croix de guerre bestowed upon him by France . From General John J . Pershing , he received the Distinguished Service Medal ( Army ) . The Navy Distinguished Service Medal was conferred upon him when he returned to the United States following the occupation of Germany . In October 1919 , he again was appointed Commanding General , Marine Barracks , Quantico , Virginia . Commandant of the Marine Corps . Lejeune was appointed as Major General Commandant of the Marine Corps on 1 July 1920 . Subsequent to that time , he left his headquarters at Washington several times for tours of inspection in Haiti , Santo Domingo , Cuba , Puerto Rico , to the West Coast and elsewhere . Upon the expiration of his second term as Commandant , Lejeune indicated his desire not to retire from the Marine Corps , but was relieved as Commandant in March 1929 . Founded the Marine Corps League . The Marine Corps League is the only Congressionally chartered United States Marine Corps - related veterans organization in the United States . Its Congressional Charter was approved by the 75th U . S . Congress and signed by President Franklin D . Roosevelt on August 4 , 1937 . The organization credits its founding — in 1923 — to legendary Marine Corps Commandant John A . Lejeune . Retirement and VMI . On 10 November 1929 , Lejeune retired in order to accept the position of Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute ( VMI ) , serving there over eight years until October 1937 . In February 1942 , he was advanced to the rank of lieutenant general on the Marine Corps retired list . In 1930 Lejeune was elected as an honorary member of the Virginia Society of the Cincinnati . Lejeune died 20 November 1942 in the Union Memorial Hospital , Baltimore , Maryland , and was interred in the Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors . Marine Corps Birthday message . In the Marine Corps ' annual celebration of the establishment of the Marine Corps on November 10 , 1775 at Tun Tavern , the following message from MajGen John A . Lejeune is read : Decorations and honors . Personal military awards . Lieutenant General Lejeune ' s awards include : U . S . Postal service honor . On November 10 , 2005 , the United States Postal Service issued the " Distinguished Marines " stamps in which Lejeune was honored . Statues and memorials . On November 10 , 2000 , a life - sized bronze statue of Lejeune was unveiled on the grounds of the Pointe Coupee Parish Courthouse in New Roads , Louisiana . Patrick F . Taylor , chairman and CEO of Taylor Energy Company , along with the retired Marine Corps Major General Ronald G . Richard ( former commanding general of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ) were in attendance . Taylor , who financed the Lejeune statue project , joined the Marine Corps Officer Training program as a student at Louisiana State University , but a heart problem kept him from receiving his commission . Taylor commissioned sculptor Patrick Dane Miller to fashion it to be historically accurate . Statues of Lejeune also stand outside the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virginia , in the center of the traffic circle aboard MCB Camp Lejeune NC , outside of Lejeune Hall at the United States Naval Academy and the Louisiana War Memorial in downtown Baton Rouge , Louisiana next to the destroyer . Namesakes . Lejeune , legendary among Marines and often referred to as " the greatest of all Leathernecks " , served in the Marine Corps for over 40 years . In his honor , the following bear his name :