James Carson Breckinridge James Carson Breckinridge ( September 13 , 1877 – March 2 , 1942 ) was a lieutenant general of the United States Marine Corps . He was the son of Clifton Rhodes Breckinridge and a member of the prominent Breckinridge family . Military career . Breckinridge was appointed as a second lieutenant in 1899 to fight in the Spanish – American War , seeing service at Cavite in the Philippines . He was promoted to captain on July 23 , 1901 , serving as the commander of Marine detachments at sea through that decade . He served ashore in Panama and Nicaragua from late 1909 to early 1911 , months later , temporary expeditionary duty in Cuba . In April 1914 , he participated in the United States occupation of Veracruz while in command of the Marine attachment from the . He received a commendation for his conduct in battle . Breckinridge served as naval attaché at many diplomatic posts from April 1916 to September 1918 , to include Petrograd , Russia , Christiania , Norway , Copenhagen , Denmark , and Stockholm , Sweden . His service would earn him the Navy Cross , for " distinguished service in the line of his profession as Naval Attache to the American Legations at Christiana and Stockholm , and for a time also at Copenhagen . At all of these posts of duty , the service of information established and conducted was of great value to the United States and allied Powers . " He was promoted to major on June 12 , 1916 , to lieutenant colonel two months later , and to colonel on July 1 , 1918 . From February 1919 to October 1920 , he commanded the 15th Regiment , 2nd Brigade of Marines , in the occupation of the Dominican Republic , and from October 4 , 1920 to May 5 , 1921 , was in command of the Guardia National Dominicana . In 1922 , he returned to the United States to attend the Army War College , then commanded Marine Barracks , Washington , D . C . from August 1923 to September 1925 . From 1925 to 1927 , Breckinridge was attached to the USS " Seattle " as Fleet Marine Officer and aide on the Staff of the Commander in Chief , United States Fleet . He next served as chief of staff for , and later commanded the 1st Marine Regiment at Marine Barracks , Quantico , Virginia from December 1 , 1927 to December 25 , 1929 . In July 1928 , he was placed in command of the Marine Corps Schools at Quantico . From January 28 , 1930 until March 13 , 1932 , Breckinridge commanded the Marine Detachment at the American Legation , Peiping , China , and was promoted to brigadier general on October 31 , 1931 . Following this , he returned to Quantico to command Marine Corps Schools again until January 6 , 1935 , having been promoted to major general on February 1 , 1935 . He was ordered to San Francisco , California , to assume command of the Department of the Pacific until June 24 , 1937 , when he again returned to Quantico as commander until September 1939 . He then commanded Marine Barracks , Parris Island , South Carolina until his retirement effective October 1 , 1941 , having attained the statutory retiring age of 64 years . He received a promotion to lieutenant general at that date in recognition of his decorated service as a combat veteran . Retirement and death . He retired on October 1 , 1941 , and returned to his home in the Shenandoah Valley . After his death , according to his wishes , he was buried in the Breckinridge family plot at Lexington Cemetery in Lexington , Kentucky . Awards and honors . The and the James Carson Breckinridge Professional Library at the Marine Corps University is named for him , as a tribute for his efforts to prepare the next generation of Marines for World War II .