John States Seybold (July 2, 1897 – April 19, 1982) was 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 1952 to 1956.

Biography

Seybold was born on July 2, 1897 in Topeka, Kansas. He attended Polk Grade School and graduated from Topeka High School. Seybold then studied at the University of Kansas for two years before entering the United States Military Academy in June 1918. Seybold graduated from West Point in June 1920. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps, and later transferred to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He earned a B.S. degree in civil engineering at the

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

in June 1922. Seybold served with the 11th Engineers in the Panama Canal Zone from November 1922 to October 1925. Seybold commanded a company in the 1st Engineers at Fort Hancock, New Jersey from November 1925 to June 1927. He taught military science and tactics at Texas A&M College from September 1928 to July 1934. Seybold then served as an assistant to the district engineer in Vicksburg, Mississippi until May 1938. He was subsequently assigned to the Corps of Engineers headquarters staff in Washington, D.C. During World War II, Seybold served in North Africa and Europe from April 1943 to May 1945, 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 ...

and the

Bronze Star Medal 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 ...

. After the war, Seybold served as district engineer in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

and

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck () is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The city's population was 73,622 in the 2020 census, while its metropolitan popula ...

. He then served as division engineer in Omaha, Nebraska and San Francisco, California. Seybold became chief of personnel at Corps of Engineers headquarters in May 1951. He was promoted to brigadier general on June 30, 1951. Seybold served as Governor of the Panama Canal Zone from 1952 to 1956. Seybold hosted

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

's first-ever

state visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...

when she visited the Canal Zone in November 1953. Seybold retired from active duty in the Army on November 30, 1955 and was advanced to major general on the retired list. He then completed his four-year term as governor in May 1956. Seybold lived in Washington, D.C. after retirement and died on April 19, 1982 at

Sibley Hospital Sibley Memorial Hospital is a non-profit hospital located in The Palisades neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and is licensed by the District of Columbia De ...

. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery three days later.

References

External links

Panama Canal Authority biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seybold, John S. 1897 births 1982 deaths People from Topeka, Kansas University of Kansas alumni United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Kansas United States Army Corps of Engineers personnel Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni American civil engineers Texas A&M University faculty United States Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Army generals Governors of the Panama Canal Zone Military personnel from Washington, D.C. Burials at Arlington National Cemetery