List of United States Military Academy First Captains
The Corps of Cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, is organized into a brigade. The senior ranking cadet, the brigade commander, is known traditionally as the First Captain. The position was created in 1872. The names of first captains are displayed on plaques outside the Eisenhower Barracks. The brigade is organized into four regiments. Within each regiment there are three battalions, each consisting of three companies. Companies are lettered A through I, with a number signifying which regiment it belongs to. For example, there are four  H companies: H1, H2, H3, and H4. The First Captain is responsible for the overall performance of the 4,400-strong Corps of Cadets, and her duties include implementing a class agenda and acting as a liaison between the Corps and the administration. There are a couple of unusual cases. Casper H. Conrad Jr. was selected as First Captain of the Class of 1894 on 14 August 1893, but he went off limits during a cadet visit to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He was court martialed and dismissed from the Academy but was permitted to return the following  year and graduated with the Class of 1895. He was removed as First Captain on 24 August 1893 before the start of the Academic year and never served as First Captain. There were two First Captains in the Class of 1920 because Claude M. McQuarrie resigned the post in order to concentrate on his academic studies. Several First Captains have gone on to achieve high rank; John J. Pershing became General of the Armies and Douglas MacArthur became a General of the Army. They both served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army, as did Charles P. Summerall , Malin Craig and William C. Westmoreland, and John P. McConnell became the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. MacArthur was also awarded the Medal of Honor, as did Jonathan M. Wainwright. Notes.