United States Army General. He is remembered world-wide for serving from 1917 to 1918 as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front during World War I. Born in Laclede, Missouri, he was the son of a railroad switchman.
The foremost militaryleader of his time, General John 'Black Jack' Pershing (1860-1948) served in the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, the Philippines, the Mexican Intervention and World War I.
During his next assignment in Washington, Captain Pershing met Helen Frances Warren, a recent graduate of Wellesley College and daughter of United States Senator Francis E. Warren of Wyoming.
Though twenty years her senior, Pershing charmed Miss Warren. In describing a social gathering, she wrote, 'Danced every dance but one, and have lost my heart to Captain Pershing irretrievably.'
- Pershing, in full John Joseph Pershing, byname Black Jack, (born September 13, 1860, Laclede, Missouri, U.S.—died July 15, 1948, Washington, D.C.), U.S. Army general who commanded the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in Europe during World War I.
- John Joseph Pershing was born near Laclede, Missouri, on 13 September 1860. He attended the State Normal School and then graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1886. He was commissioned a second lieutenant and served with the 6th Cavalry.
The courtship lasted a year, sustained by traditional wooing and love letters. The two were married in a wedding attended by President Theodore Roosevelt just days before Pershing shipped out to Tokyo, Japan, where he served as a military attaché and observer of the Russo-Japanese War.
Captain Pershing's brilliance continued to be recognized. In 1906, he was promoted to Brigadier General, skipping over 862 senior officers.
After Japan, Brigadier General Pershing was sent back to the Philippines to command Fort McKinley. During this time, Pershing once again worked with the Moros in their development of a constitution and organization of a local government. In 1913, Pershing successfully led troops to overtake outlaw Moros in the Mount Bagsak campaign, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
Who is John J. Pershing?
John J. Pershing, in full John Joseph Pershing was born 13 September 1860 in Laclede, Missouri, U.S. and died 15 July 1948, Washington, D.C. U.S. Pershing was an army general who commanded the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in Europe during World War I.
1886. The beginning
Pershing graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1886. After serving several campaigns and being wounded in battle, he was appointed as an instructor in tactics at West Point in 1897.
1898.
The Spanish-American War gave Pershing opportunity for rapid promotion. He served in Cuba through the Santiago campaign (1898) and was appointed major of volunteers. In June 1899 he was made adjutant general. He established the Bureau of Insular Affairs in the War Department and acted as head of that bureau.
1906 and Roosvelt promotion
General John Joseph Black Jack Pershing Jr
In 1899, Pershing was dispatched to the Philippines as adjutant general of the department of Mindanao. In 1905, he was military attaché to the U.S. embassy in Japan. In 1906, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt promoted Pershing. He next gained attention as commander of the punitive expedition sent against the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa, who had raided Columbus, New Mexico, in 1916.
1917
In April 1917, President Woodrow Wilson selected Pershing to command the American troops being sent to Europe – he landed in France on 9 June 1917 – to fight in WWI. The transition from the anti-insurgency campaigns that had characterized much of Pershing’s career to the vast stagnant siege of the Western Front was an extreme test, but Pershing brought to the challenge a keen administrative sense and a knack for carrying out plans in spite of adversity.
General John Joseph Black Jack Pershing Chicago Il
Pershing returned home with a sound reputation, and, on 1 September 1919, he was given the rank of general of the armies of the United States. Pershing’s nickname, “Black Jack,” derived from his service with a black regiment early in his career. Eschewing politics, Pershing remained in the army, serving as chief of staff from 1921 until his retirement in 1924.