George Henson Estes Jr. (January 30, 1873 – July 2, 1969) 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 ...

officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Biography

Estes was born on January 30, 1873, in

Eufaula, Alabama Eufaula is the largest city in Barbour County, Alabama, Barbour County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census the city's population was 13,137. History The site along the Chattahoochee River that is now moder ...

, the son of George Henson Estes Sr. (1848-1918) and his wife, Anna Georgia (Thornton) Estes (1853-1929). He had seven younger siblings: Mary, Edith Gray, William Thornton, Thomas Gray, Claude Hugh, Charles Richard, and Martha, who married United States Army officer

John L. DeWitt John Lesesne DeWitt (January 9, 1880 – June 20, 1962) was a 4-star general officer in the United States Army, best known for leading the Japanese American internment, internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. After the attack on Pe ...

. He attended the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

before entering 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 ...

, which he graduated from in 1894. He was commissioned into the infantry. Estes participated in the Santiago Campaign 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 ...

, and he served in the Sanitary Corps while in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. He participated in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. From 1914 to 1917, he served as the treasurer and quartermaster at the USMA. On August 8, 1918, after being transferred to the Inspector General's Department, Estes was promoted to 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 graduated from the

United States Army 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 ...

in 1920 and from the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...

in 1921. On January 2, 1929, Estes was permanently promoted to brigadier general, and he served as the commandant of the

United States Army Infantry School The United States Army Infantry School is a school located at Fort Benning, Georgia that is dedicated to training infantrymen for service in the United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United State ...

from May 4, 1929, to May 31, 1937. Estes retired from the army on January 1, 1937, because of disabilities. He moved to

Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, northwest of Tampa and St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census, the city had a populat ...

, where he lived until his death on July 2, 1969.

Personal life

Estes married Frances Farrell on January 4, 1899, and together they had two children. Frances Farrell's sister Florence was the wife of Brigadier General

James Anderson Irons James Anderson Irons (February 21, 1857 – July 20, 1921) was a brigadier general during World War I. Early life and education Irons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 21, 1857, the son of James R. Irons and Sarah (Anderson) Iro ...

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Estes, George Henson 1873 births 1969 deaths People from Eufaula, Alabama People from Clearwater, Florida American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals Recipients of the Silver Star United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni United States Army generals of World War I United States Military Academy faculty Military personnel from Alabama