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.

## Summary of service
### Dates of rank
### 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.&nbsp;C.&nbsp;Mossman and M.&nbsp;W.&nbsp;Stark, United States Army Center of Military History