George C. Rickards (August 25, 1860 – January 15, 1933) 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 Militia Bureau, the first

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

officer to hold this position.

Early life

George Collins Rickards was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

on August 25, 1860. He was the son of

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 ...

William Rickards, who commanded the 29th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment in the

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 ...

. Rickards was raised and educated in

Franklin, Pennsylvania Franklin is a city and the county seat of Venango County, Pennsylvania. The population was 6,097 in the 2020 census. Franklin is part of the Oil City, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. Franklin is known for its three-day autumn festival in Oc ...

. In 1877 he enlisted in the

Pennsylvania National Guard The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 per ...

, and in 1881 he settled in Oil City, Pennsylvania, where he became active in the hardware business. After obtaining his commission Rickards served primarily in the 16th Pennsylvania Infantry, including commander of Company F from 1883 to 1888, and Company D from 1888 to 1891. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1883,

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in 1891, and

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in 1892.

Spanish–American War

The 16th Pennsylvania was mobilized for 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 served in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. Rickards served as a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

commander, and was mustered out with the

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

in December, 1898.

Pancho Villa Expedition

Rickards was promoted to colonel as commander of the 16th Pennsylvania in 1907. In 1916 he commanded the regiment in

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 ...

during the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the p ...

World War I

The 16th Pennsylvania was federalized for

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 ...

as the 112th Infantry Regiment, a unit of the 56th Brigade, 28th Infantry Division. He commanded the regiment throughout the war, and also acted as commander of the 56th Brigade on several occasions. He received 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 ...

at the end of the war.

Post World War I

Rickards was promoted to

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 1919, and commanded the 56th Brigade. He subsequently volunteered for active duty on the Army General Staff, and took part in development and passage of the

National Defense Act of 1920 The National Defense Act of 1920 (or Kahn Act) was sponsored by United States Representative Julius Kahn, Republican of California. This legislation updated the National Defense Act of 1916 to reorganize the United States Army and decentralize ...

, which included a provision that the Chief of the Militia Bureau be a National Guard officer. In 1921 Rickards was appointed Chief of the Militia Bureau, and he served until his 1925 retirement. During his term he worked to implement provisions of the 1920 National Defense Act, including reorganizing National Guard units to standardize them with units of the regular Army, building new armories and training sites, and taking steps to standardize training and education requirements between the National Guard and the regular Army.

Post military career

After retiring from the National Guard Rickards ran unsuccessfully for

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

in 1926. From 1928 until his death Rickards served as Venango County Register and Recorder. He died in Oil City on January 15, 1933, and was buried at Oil City's Grove Hill Cemetery.''New York Times''
"Military Funeral for G. C. Rickards"
January 20, 1933

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rickards, George C. 1860 births 1933 deaths Military personnel from Philadelphia People from Franklin, Pennsylvania People from Oil City, Pennsylvania Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) United States Army generals Chiefs of the National Guard Bureau American military personnel of the Spanish–American War National Guard (United States) generals Pennsylvania National Guard personnel Pennsylvania Republicans County officials in Pennsylvania United States Army generals of World War I