George Robinson Mather (June 2, 1911 – January 1, 1993) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

four-star general who served as Commander in Chief,

United States Southern Command The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral, Florida in Greater Miami, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning, o ...

(USCINCSO) from 1969 to 1971.

Early life and education

Mather was born in

Watertown, South Dakota Watertown is a city in and the county seat of Codington County, South Dakota, United States. Watertown is home to the Redlin Art Center which houses many of the original art works produced by Terry Redlin, one of America's most popular wildlife ...

, on June 2, 1911. He was appointed to the

United States Military Academy at West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

and in 1932 he graduated and was commissioned in the cavalry. He studied Spanish at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1937 and then returned to West Point to teach Spanish for four years.

Military career

During World War II, he served as Executive Officer of the 110th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division and was decorated for his actions in the

Battle of Hürtgen Forest The Battle of Hürtgen Forest (german: Schlacht im Hürtgenwald) was a series of battles fought from 19 September to 16 December 1944, between American and German forces on the Western Front during World War II, in the Hürtgen Forest, a a ...

. From 1946 to 1948, he served on the staff of the Caribbean Command in the Panama Canal Zone, beginning a long association with Latin America. Following an assignment as Chief of Staff,

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 ...

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 ...

in 1961, he was assigned as Chairman, United States Delegation, Joint Brazil-United States Military Assistance Advisory Group in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

until September 1964. In 1965, he assumed command of the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood. Following that assignment, he served as the United States Military Representative to the Permanent Military Deputies Group,

Central Treaty Organization The Middle East Treaty Organization (METO), also known as the Baghdad Pact and subsequently known as the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was formed in 24 February 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turk ...

located in

Ankara, Turkey Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, mak ...

. He next took command of

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...

in 1966, returning stateside in 1967 to command III Corps. He became the first Director of Civil Disturbance Planning and Operations in July 1968. His final assignment was as Commander in Chief,

. He retired from the army in 1971. Mather's awards and decorations included the Army Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with

"V" device A "V" device is a metal capital letter "V" with serifs which, when worn on certain decorations awarded by the United States Armed Forces, distinguishes an award for heroism or valor in combat instead of for meritorious service or achievement. ...

, the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

, the

Combat Infantryman Badge The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of e ...

and the Ordem do Mérito Aeronáutico from Brazil, provided for service, in 1964. * Distinguished Service Medal ribbon

Army Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster * Legion of Merit ribbon

Legion of Merit * Bronze Star ribbon

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 ...

with

Order of Military Merit (Brazil) The Order of Military Merit ( pt, Ordem do Mérito Militar) is an award of the Brazilian Army, established on 11 July 1934 by President Getúlio Vargas. The order is presented in five grades and recognizes distinguished service and exceptional co ...

, Commander * BRA Ordem do Mérito Aeronáutico Comendador

Order of Aeronautical Merit (Brazil) The Order of Aeronautical Merit ( pt, Ordem do Mérito Aeronáutico) is an award of the Brazilian Air Force, established on 1 November 1943 by President Getúlio Vargas. The order is presented in five grades and recognizes distinguished service a ...

, Commander * Order of Naval Merit - Grand Cross (Brazil) - ribbon bar

Order of Naval Merit (Brazil) The Order of Naval Merit ( pt, Ordem do Mérito Naval) is a Brazilian military decoration established on 4 July 1934 by president Getúlio Vargas Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and polit ...

, Grand Cross

Post retirement

Mather retired to Pinehurst, North Carolina, and served two terms as a village councilman. He died on January 1, 1993, in

Southern Pines, North Carolina Southern Pines is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 12,334 as of the 2010 United States Census. History Southern Pines was founded as a winter health resort for Northerners. As of 1898, it was a sundo ...

, survived by a son and daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mather, George R. 1911 births 1993 deaths People from Watertown, South Dakota United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni United States Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit