Clarence Self Ridley (June 22, 1883 – July 26, 1969) served as the governor of the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

from 1936 to 1940.

Biography

Ridley was born in

Corydon, Indiana Corydon is a town in Harrison Township, Harrison County, Indiana. Located north of the Ohio River in the extreme southern part of the U.S. state of Indiana, it is the seat of government for Harrison County. Corydon was founded in 1808 and served ...

on June 22, 1883, to Judge William Ridley. Ridley graduated fourth in a class of 114 from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1905. He was commissioned second lieutenant in the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

. In 1917, Ridley was appointed senior military aide to President Wilson. He supervised construction of the

Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a U.S. national memorial built to honor the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument, and is in the ...

. After

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 ...

, Ridley graduated from the

Command and General Staff School The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

in 1925, the Army War College in 1931 and the Army Industrial College in 1932. He then served as an instructor at the Army Industrial College. Ridley served as Governor of the Panama Canal Zone from 1936 to 1940. He was promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

effective October 1, 1938 and received a temporary promotion to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

on February 14, 1941. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he was commanding general of the

6th Infantry Division 6th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 6th Division (Australia) * 6th Division (Austria) *6th (United Kingdom) Division * Finnish 6th Division (Winter War) *Finnish 6th Division (Continuation War) * 6th Division (Reichswehr) * 6th Divisi ...

from January 1941 to August 1942. Ridley then served as chief of the U.S. Military Mission to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

from 1942 to 1946, for which he was awarded 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: His promotion to major general was made permanent on February 27, 1947, and he retired from active duty on June 30, 1947, after forty-two years of service. Ridley died on July 26, 1969, in

Carmel, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and municipal corporation, incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its n ...

. He was buried at the West Point Cemetery on October 21, 1969.

References

1883 births 1969 deaths People from Corydon, Indiana United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Indiana United States Army Corps of Engineers personnel Military aides to the President of the United States United States Army personnel of World War I 20th-century American engineers United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy alumni Canal executives Governors of the Panama Canal Zone United States Army generals United States Army generals of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Burials at West Point Cemetery {{LouisvilleMSA-stub