Charles Pelot Summerall
A stern American general who led divisions in the trenches of WWI and later molded the character of The Citadel as its long-serving president.
1867–1955 (age 88)·12th Chief of Staff of the United States Army·Birthday: March 4·The Gilded Age
Biography
Charles Pelot Summerall's life was a parade ground of duty, from the shell-cratered fields of France to the rigid quadrangles of a military college. Born in 1867, his Army career was forged in the Philippines and on the Mexican border, but it was the Great War that defined his command. He led the famed 1st Infantry Division, the 'Big Red One,' through some of the war's most grueling battles, earning a reputation for unwavering discipline and personal bravery under fire. Promoted to Chief of Staff of the Army in the interwar years, he confronted the challenges of a shrinking military budget. His final and perhaps most enduring act began in 1931, when he became President of The Citadel. For 22 years, Summerall was the iron-willed architect of the South Carolina military college's modern ethos, instilling a code of honor and austerity that shaped generations of cadets until his death in 1953, leaving a legacy as much in character as in combat.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Charles was born in 1867, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Charles Was Born
The biggest hits of 1867
Charles's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1867Born
President: Andrew Johnson
1872Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1880Became a teenager
Edison patents the incandescent light bulb
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1883Could drive
President: Chester A. Arthur
1885Could vote
Karl Benz builds the first gasoline-powered automobile
President: Grover Cleveland
1888Turned 21
President: Grover Cleveland
1897Turned 30
President: William McKinley
1907Turned 40
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1917Turned 50
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Turned 60
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1937Turned 70
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1947Turned 80
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1955Died at 88
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
Key Achievements
- Commanded the U.S. 1st Infantry Division during critical battles of World War I.
- Served as the 12th Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1926 to 1930.
- Presided as President of The Citadel for 22 years, from 1931 until 1953.
- Rose from a private in the volunteer forces to a full general in the regular Army.
Did You Know?
He was originally a schoolteacher before enlisting in the Army.
Fort Summerall in North Carolina was named in his honor.
His tenure as President of The Citadel is one of the longest in the school's history.
He was a noted artillery officer before his high command roles.
“The mission of the infantry is to close with the enemy and destroy him.”
