Edward Thomas Williams (1901–1973) 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 gained prominence as chief of artillery for the

Third United States Army Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...

in Europe 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 ...

, commander of the United States Army Field Artillery Center, and commander of the

Fourth United States Army Fourth United States Army was a field army of the United States Army between 1932 and 1991. History In 1922, Fourth Army was organized as a unit of the Organized Reserves in New York City. It was allotted to the Regular Army as an inactive unit ...

Early life

Williams was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, Michigan, on February 6, 1901. 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 ...

at West Point in 1920.Social Security Death Index

Early career

Edward Thomas Williams (1901–1973) at West Point in 1920

In 1921 Williams graduated from the Field Artillery Basic Course. Williams served in artillery assignments of increasing rank and responsibility throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including a posting to

Schofield Barracks, Hawaii Schofield Barracks is a United States Army installation and census-designated place (CDP) located in the City and County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Hawaii. Schofield Barracks lies adjacent to the t ...

, as a member of the

13th Field Artillery Regiment The 13th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1916. History The 13th Field Artillery was constituted 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army at Camp Stewart, Texas. Lineage Constituted 1 Ju ...

, assignment to

Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (sometimes erroneously called Aberdeen Proving ''Grounds'') is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at ...

, and a position as an instructor at

Fort Sill, Oklahoma Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...

. In 1939 Williams graduated from the

Command and General Staff College 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 ...

World War II

Williams served as commander of the

Artillery during

, taking part in operations throughout Europe after the

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

invasion and earning the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

Post World War II

From 1950 to 1952 Williams was assigned as deputy chief of staff for operations at the U.S. Army European Command. Williams served as chief of staff for U.S. Army, Europe from 1952 to 1953. In 1953 Williams was appointed deputy commander of the

, serving until 1954. Williams was then named commander of the United States Army Field Artillery Center, serving from 1954 to 1956. In 1956 Williams was named deputy commander of the

Continental Army Command Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (al ...

, a position he held until 1959. In 1958 he chaired the Williams Board, which reviewed and recommended changes to the Army's professional education system for officers. Williams was selected to command the

in 1959, and he served in this post until his retirement. While commanding the Fourth Army Williams represented the United States at the funeral of Walter Williams of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, who claimed to have been a

Confederate soldier The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

and the last living

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

veteran.

Retirement and awards

General Williams retired in 1961. His awards and decorations included two Distinguished Service Medals, the

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 the

Bronze Star 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 ...

Death and burial

Williams died on October 14, 1973, in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. He was buried at

Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as of 2014, had over 144,000 interme ...

, Section PA, Site 249-C.Nationwide Gravesite Locator
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Edward Thomas 1901 births United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Military personnel from Detroit Military personnel from San Antonio 1973 deaths Burials at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery United States Army generals of World War II