Edgar C. Erickson (July 18, 1896 – March 31, 1989) was a

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 ...

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 ...

who served as chief of the National Guard Bureau.

Early life

Edgar Carl Erickson was born in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

, on July 18, 1896, and was educated in the schools of Worcester.

Pancho Villa Expedition

In April 1914, Erickson enlisted in Company H, 2nd Massachusetts Infantry. In 1916 he served with his unit on the Mexican border during the Pancho Villa Expedition.

World War I

Erickson was a

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

when he received his commission as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in 1917. He served with 2nd Battalion, 104th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division in France during

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 ...

Post World War I

After the war Erickson became a partner in Erickson Steel, a company formed to produce prefabricated buildings. He later worked as general manager of Worcester's Hedlund

Coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

Company. In 1932 he graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College. A Republican, he served in the Massachusetts State Senate from 1933 to 1936, representing

Massachusetts Senate's 2nd Worcester district Massachusetts Senate's 2nd Worcester district in the United States is one of 40 legislative districts of the Massachusetts Senate. It covers portions of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester county. Massachusetts Democratic Party, Democrat Mi ...

. He subsequently served as superintendent of the Worcester County Training School. Having maintained his membership in the National Guard, by 1939 Erickson had risen to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and commander of the

181st Infantry Regiment The 181st Infantry Regiment shares the distinction of being the oldest combat regiment currently organized in the United States Army. It is one of several National Guard units with colonial roots and campaign credit for the War of 1812. The re ...

World War II

Erickson served as the Adjutant General of Massachusetts from 1939 to 1942 with the rank of

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 ...

. In 1940 he was also called to federal service as the Director of Selective Service for Massachusetts. In 1942 Erickson accepted a reduction to colonel in order to serve in uniform overseas. He was assigned as liaison officer to the Chinese Nationalist Army for the remainder of the war.

Post World War II

After the war Erickson was assigned to the

National Guard Bureau The National Guard Bureau is the federal instrument responsible for the administration of the National Guard established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was cre ...

. His assignments included: chief of the Infantry Regulations Branch; Chief of Plans; acting chief of the Army Division; and acting deputy chief of the National Guard Bureau. In 1953 Erickson was appointed chief of the National Guard Bureau, and he served until his 1959 retirement. As NGB chief, Erickson oversaw an increase in authorized personnel strength and a corresponding recruiting effort to fill the positions, as well as the fielding of the first jet fighters for units of the Air National Guard and the fielding of modern

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

s for the Army National Guard's armor units.

Awards and decorations

Erickson's awards included the

Distinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army) 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 ...

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

, and

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

Retirement and death

In retirement Erickson resided in Worcester and

Sun City, Arizona Sun City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, that is located within the Phoenix metropolitan area. The population was 39,931 as of the 2020 United Sta ...

. He died in Rutland, Massachusetts' Holden Nursing Home on March 31, 1989, and was buried at Worcester County Memorial Park in Paxton.

Legacy

The Erickson Trophy is awarded annually to the distinguished graduates of each of the state National Guard Officer Candidate Schools. The actual trophy and an inscribed list of recipients is maintained on display at National Guard Bureau, with replicas presented to each winner.

Family

In 1920 he married Nancy I. Sundstrom (1898–1982). They had one son, Russell, who died in 1987.

References

External links

*
Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erickson, Edgar C. 1896 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American legislators Adjutants General of Massachusetts United States Army personnel of World War I Chiefs of the National Guard Bureau Republican Party Massachusetts state senators National Guard (United States) generals People from Rutland, Massachusetts People from Sun City, Arizona Military personnel from Worcester, Massachusetts Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army generals United States Army generals of World War II 20th-century Massachusetts politicians