George A . White Major General George A . White ( July 18 , 1880 – November 23 , 1941 ) was an American author , journalist and Major General in the first half of the 20th century . He was one of the founders of the American Legion and commanded the 41st Infantry Division in World War II until his death in 1941 . Early life and education . George Ared White was born on July 18 , 1880 in Long Branch Township , Saline County , Illinois . On August 1 , 1895 White enlisted in the Utah National Guard as a musician . He was discharged in June 1898 in order to enlist in the Utah Artillery for the Spanish - American War . He remained in Federal service until he was discharged in December 1898 . White re - enlisted in the Utah national Guard in 1899 was promoted to sergeant and later First Sergeant before being discharged in 1903 . He moved to Oregon , where he enlisted in the 3rd Infantry , Oregon National Guard on August 4 , 1907 . The next day he was commissioned as a First Lieutenant . He was promoted to Captain on March 21 , 1911 . World War I . White was appointed Adjutant General of Oregon on February 1 , 1915 . When the Oregon National Guard was Federalized for the Mexican Expedition , White obtained a leave of absence in order to command a troop of Oregon cavalry . After service on the Mexican border from June 1916 to February 1917 , he resumed his post in Oregon . On March 23 , 1917 , the Oregon National Guard was mobilized . As Adjutant General , White was involved in recruiting efforts to bring National Guard units up to strength , and he directed the establishment of state machinery for conscription . White re - entered Federal service on September 10 , 1917 with the rank of major and was given the post of Assistant Adjutant General of the 41st Division , a new division being organized from National Guard units from Oregon , Washington , Idaho , Montana and Wyoming . He served overseas on the Western Front from January 1918 to June 1919 . Initially he was with the 41st Division but it was designated as a replacement division and he was posted to General Headquarters American Expeditionary Force . He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on November 13 , 1918 . For his services , he was awarded the Ordre de l ’ Etoile noire . Interwar years . White was one of twenty officers at the Allied Officers ' Club , Rue Faubourg St . Honore , on February 16 , 1919 who were credited with the founding of the American Legion . He subsequently became its first national vice commander . He founded the American Legion magazine and was its first editor . For his services to the American Legion , and for promoting the friendship between the United States and France , he was awarded the Legion d ' Honneur on July 9 , 1934 . White was separated from Federal service on July 23 , 1919 resumed his duties as Adjutant General of Oregon on April 15 , 1920 . His first task was the reconstruction of the Oregon national Guard , in which he was promoted to Colonel on June 23 , 1920 . On July 23 , 1923 , he assumed command of the 82nd Infantry Brigade , a brigade composed of Oregon troops , and was promoted to brigadier general . White attended the Command and General Staff College , Fort Leavenworth from 1925 to 1926 and took part in training seminars organized by the U . S . Army War College in 1928 . On January 3 , 1930 he was promoted to Major General and appointed to command the 41st Division . World War II . The 41st Division ' s annual summer camp at Fort Lewis in June and July 1940 was extended from two weeks to three , and on September 16 , 1940 with President Franklin D . Roosevelt ' s signing of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 , the 41st Division was inducted into Federal service for one year . Selective service men began to arrive in February 1941 . In May 1941 , 41st Division moved to the Hunter Liggett Military Reservation where June war games pitted it against Major General Joseph Stilwell ' s 7th Division and the 40th Division . Large scale maneuvers continued in August on the Olympic Peninsula . General White became ill during the maneuvers at Hunter Liggett . He died at his home in Clackamas , Oregon on November 23 , 1941 . His legacy included one of the National Guard ' s best - trained divisions . In his honor , Camp White was named after him in 1942 .