Ulysses S. Grant III
A career soldier and planner who stepped out of his famous grandfather's shadow to shape the modern American capital and its memorials.
1881–1968 (age 87)·American army officer and grandson of President Ulysses S. Grant·Birthday: July 4·The Gilded Age
Biography
Ulysses S. Grant III carried a weighty name but forged a distinct path through public service. Graduating from West Point, he served in the Philippines and on the Mexican border before a significant posting in Washington, D.C. As a major in the Army Corps of Engineers, he became deeply involved in the city's physical development. His most enduring legacy was his leadership of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Park and Planning Commission from the 1920s through the 1940s. In these roles, Grant was a central architect of the capital's majestic core, overseeing the design and placement of federal buildings, monuments, and parkways. He advocated for the preservation of the National Mall's open vista and played a key part in the development of the Jefferson Memorial. Though he served in both World Wars, it was his peacetime planning that left a permanent mark on the nation's civic landscape.
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.
Ulysses was born in 1881, 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 Ulysses Was Born
The biggest hits of 1881
Ulysses's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1881Born
President: Chester A. Arthur
1886Started school
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1894Became a teenager
President: Grover Cleveland
1897Could drive
President: William McKinley
1899Could vote
President: William McKinley
1902Turned 21
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 30
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1921Turned 40
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1931Turned 50
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1941Turned 60
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1951Turned 70
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1961Turned 80
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1968Died at 87
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
Key Achievements
- Served as Executive Officer of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital, shaping Washington D.C.'s development.
- Was the first Director of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
- Served as a senior officer on the War Department General Staff during World War I.
- Achieved the rank of Major General in the United States Army.
Did You Know?
He was present at the 1932 burial of the World War I Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
He married Edith Root, the daughter of Elihu Root, a former Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
He served as the president of the George Washington University from 1946 to 1951.
During World War II, he was the commander of the Engineer Replacement Training Center at Fort Leonard Wood.
“The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on.”
