Albert Jesse Bowley Sr. (November 24, 1875 – May 23, 1945) was a

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. He was the son of First Lieutenant Freeman S. Bowley, who served in the Civil War with the

30th United States Colored Infantry The 30th United States Colored Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was composed of African American enlisted men commanded by white officers and was authorized by the Bureau o ...

Early career

111-SC-22399 - NARA - 55204498 (cropped) (cropped)

Bowley was born on November 24, 1875, in

Westminster, California Westminster is a city in northern Orange County, California, known for its many Vietnamese refugees who immigrated to the city during the 1980s. They settled largely in Little Saigon, and the city is known as the "capital" of overseas Vietnames ...

, the son of Freeman Sparks Bowley and Flora Ella Pepper Bowley. His sister was actress Flora Juliet Bowley. He graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

in 1897 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Artillery. He served in the Philippines during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. Between the Spanish–American War and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Bowley served in a variety of command and staff assignments, including commander of a coast artillery company at Fort Greble, Rhode Island, aide-de-camp to Major General

Frederick Dent Grant Frederick Dent Grant (May 30, 1850 – April 12, 1912) was a soldier and United States minister to Austria-Hungary. Grant was the first son of General and President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant and Julia Grant. He was named after his ...

and military attaché in China. He also served on the Mexican border during the

Punitive Expedition A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavio ...

in pursuit of

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (,"Villa"
''Collins English Dictionary''. ; ;

of 1916 to 1917. During World War I, Bowley successively commanded the

17th Field Artillery Regiment The 17th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1916. History The 17th Field Artillery was constituted 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army at Camp Robinson, Wisconsin. Current Status of Reg ...

, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade, and VI Corps Artillery, additionally attaining the rank of brigadier general in June 1918, and receiving the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

, The citation for which reads:

Post World War I

In 1921, Bowley became commander of

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...

, North Carolina, a post he held until 1928. During this assignment, he was responsible for Fort Bragg's expansion into one of the Army's largest installations. Bowley was assigned as temporary commander of VIII Corps 1928, and he commanded the 2nd Infantry Division from 1928 to 1929. From 1929 to 1931 he was the Army's Assistant Army Chief of Staff for Personnel, G-1. In 1931, he was promoted to major general and was assigned to command the US Army's

Hawaiian Division The Hawaiian Division was a division of the United States Army, dedicated to the defense of Hawaii. This division was named rather than numbered, as were the Philippine, Panama Canal and Americal Divisions. It was first activated under the peacet ...

, where he remained until 1934. Bowley commanded the Fifth Corps Area from 1934 to 1935, and the Third Corps Area from 1935 to 1938. He was then commander of Fourth Army and Ninth Corps Area. He was promoted to lieutenant general on August 5, 1939, when the four Army commanders were temporarily promoted to the reestablished grade and title of lieutenant general, and served until he reached the mandatory retirement age of 64 on November 24 of the same year.

Death and legacy

General Bowley died at his summer home in

Northumberland County, Virginia Northumberland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 11,839. Its county seat is Heathsville. The county is located on the Northern Neck and is part of the Northern Neck George Washin ...

, on May 22, 1945, and was interred in Section 3 Grave Site 1997-A of Arlington National Cemetery. He was a hereditary companion of the California Commandery of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

by right of inheritance from his father was a veteran companion of the Order.

Awards

Below is Lieutenant General Bowley's ribbon bar:

Dates of rank

References

Bibliography

* ''Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy'', by George Washington Cullum, Volume V, 1910 * ''The Chicago Blue Book of Selected Names of Chicago and Suburban Towns'', published by The Chicago Directory Company, 1909, page 103 * * * ''Commendations of Second Division, American Expeditionary Forces'', published by Second Division Association, 1919 * ''U.S. Army Recruiting News'', U.S. Army Adjutant General's Office, 1931 * ''The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year Book for 1937'', published by Chicago Daily News, 1937, page 214 * ''U.S. Army Directory'', U.S. Army Adjutant General's Office, 1939 * "Gen. A.J. Bowley Dead In Virginia," ''New York Times'', May 24, 1945, http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20E15FD3E5F1B7B93C6AB178ED85F418485F9 * ''U.S. Air Force General Officer Biographies'', Albert J. Bowley Jr., https://web.archive.org/web/20090910215827/http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio_print.asp?bioID=4752&page=1 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowley, Albert Jesse Jr. 1875 births 1945 deaths United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel Military personnel from California People from Westminster, California United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army generals of World War I