Francis Kosier Newcomer (September 14, 1889 – August 16, 1967) was a decorated officer of 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 ...

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 ...

. He is most noted for his service as a 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 1948 to 1952.

Biography

ANCExplorer Francis Kosier Newcomer grave

Francis Kosier Newcomer was born on September 14, 1889, in Byron, Illinois, as a son of Brigadier General Henry C. Newcomer and his wife Rebecca. He attended the

United States Military Academy at West Point 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 ...

and graduated first in his class in June 1913. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the

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

on June 12, 1913. His first assignment was with the 1st Engineer Battalion, which was stationed at

Washington Barracks Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Chann ...

. Within this capacity, he was appointed to the local United States Engineering School from which he graduated in 1916. 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 ...

, Newcomer served as a temporary lieutenant colonel with the 4th Engineers, 4th Division. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

for his bravery and leadership in the construction of a foot bridge over the

Vesle The Vesle () is the river on which the city of Reims stands. It is a fourth order river of France and a left-bank tributary of the Aisne. It is long, and rises in the ''département'' of Marne through which it flows most of its course. Geography ...

river near

Fismes Fismes () is a Communes of France, commune in the Marne (department), Marne Departments of France, department in the Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Fismois'' or ''Fismoises'' The commune h ...

while under fire on August 5, 1918. Newcomer served as associate professor in the Department of Mathematics at West Point from August 1919 to August 1924. He later served in Hawaii from 1931 to 1933, commanding the 1st Battalion, 3rd Engineers at

Schofield Barracks 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, Oahu, Hawaii, Hawaii. Schofield Barracks lies adj ...

until July 1933. Newcomer 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 June 1935 and the Army War College in June 1940. 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 ...

, Newcomer served as theater engineer for the

China Burma India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was officia ...

Chungking Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Counc ...

from February 1943 to March 1944, earning 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 ...

. Newcomer received a temporary promotion to brigadier general on November 8, 1944. He served as Panama Canal maintenance engineer and lieutenant governor from 1944 to 1948. From 1948 to 1952, Newcomer served as Governor of the Panama Canal Zone. Having reached the mandatory retirement age of 60, he was retired as a colonel on September 30, 1949, and advanced back to brigadier general on the retired list the following day. Newcomer remained on active duty until he completed his term as governor in 1952. Newcomer and his wife moved to

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 ...

, in 1952. He died on August 16, 1967, in Brooke General Hospital at

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

, and was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Decorations

References

External links

Panama Canal Authority biography
1889 births 1967 deaths People from Byron, Illinois United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Illinois United States Army Corps of Engineers personnel United States Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) United States Military Academy faculty United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni United States Army generals of World War II Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Governors of the Panama Canal Zone Military personnel from San Antonio Burials at Arlington National Cemetery {{Panama-politician-stub