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 ...

Jay W. MacKelvie (September 23, 1890 – December 5, 1985) was a career

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 ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

. He was prominent 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 opposing ...

for being relieved of his command of the

90th Infantry Division 90th Division may refer to: ;Infantry * 90th Division (1st Formation)(People's Republic of China), 1949–1950 * 90th Division (2nd Formation)(People's Republic of China), 1950–1952 * 90th Light Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) * 90th Infantry Divi ...

shortly after the

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

Early life and start of career

Jay Ward MacKelvie was born in Esmond,

Kingsbury County Kingsbury County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,187. Its county seat is De Smet. The county was created in 1873, and was organized in 1880. It was named for brothers George W. and T. ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

on September 23, 1890. His birth name was Joseph Ward McKelvie and he was one of several children born to Francis McKelvie and Janette Gibb (Bainbridge) McKelvie. He was usually addressed by his middle name, and over time modified his first name to the initial J., and later to the name Jay. In addition, he later altered the spelling of his last name from McKelvie to MacKelvie, its original Scottish spelling. Following the 1891 death of his father, MacKelvie's mother moved her family to

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

to live closer to their relatives. In 1908, MacKelvie graduated from Galesburg High School in

Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is northwest of Peoria. At the 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal city of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical ...

. He then joined an older brother in Butte, Montana, where he worked at a smelter for the Anaconda Copper Mine. He later worked on construction of the Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway, a position he left in order to join the military.

Early military career

MacKelvie enlisted in the

in 1913, and was assigned to the

7th Cavalry Regiment The 7th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment formed in 1866. Its official nickname is "Garryowen", after the Irish air " Garryowen" that was adopted as its march tune. The regiment participated in some of the largest ba ...

. By 1915 he had risen to the non-commissioned officer (NCO) ranks. MacKelvie advanced to regimental

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in th ...

before receiving his commission as a second lieutenant in 1917.

World War I

Originally assigned to the Cavalry Branch, MacKelvie later transferred to the Field Artillery Branch. He joined the

78th Field Artillery Regiment The 78th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army. Initially activated on 1 July 1916, the 78th Field Artillery Battalion did not see action in World War I, but would later be reactivated at the start of ...

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 ...

, and took part in the

St. Mihiel Offensive The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...

in 1918.

Post-World War I

He remained in the service after World War I and in the subsequent interwar period, receiving promotion to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

in 1917, temporary Captain from 1917 to 1919, permanent captain in 1920, major in 1933, and lieutenant colonel in 1940. In the 1920s, he served as a member of the 82nd Field Artillery Battalion (Horse), a unit of the 1st Cavalry Division. MacKelvie completed the Field Artillery Battery Officers' Course in 1923, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff School in 1932, and the

U.S. 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 officer ...

in 1936. On July 1, 1940, while the United States was preparing for

, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He was promoted again, this time to the temporary rank of colonel, on December 11, 1941, shortly after the United States entered

World War II

After service in the War Department's Plans Division at the start of

brought him to the attention of

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

George C. Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry ...

, the Army Chief of Staff, in March 1942 he was promoted to the temporary 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 ...

and named commander of the 85th Division Artillery. He served until 1943, when he was appointed commander of the 7th Division Artillery. From 1943 to 1944 MacKelvie commanded the

XII Corps 12th Corps, Twelfth Corps, or XII Corps may refer to: * 12th Army Corps (France) * XII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps, a unit of the Imperial German Army * XII ...

Artillery. MacKelvie was named commander of the

in 1944 and participated in the invasion of Normandy. Shortly after the invasion, the

VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to: * VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * VII ...

commander,

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 ...

Joseph Lawton Collins decided that the division was not performing satisfactorily in combat. As a result, he relieved MacKelvie and two

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 conscript ...

al commanders. MacKelvie had been nominated for promotion to temporary

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 ...

while in command of the 90th Division, but after his relief the nomination was withdrawn. MacKelvie was relieved without prejudice, and Collins made clear that he thought MacKelvie was capable of continuing to exercise command, especially of Artillery units. After being relieved from command of the 90th Division MacKelvie was assigned to command the 80th Division Artillery, serving until 1945. From 1945 until his 1946 retirement MacKelvie served as commander of the

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 ...

Artillery.

Awards and decorations

MacKelvie's awards and decorations included: two awards of the Bronze Star Medal;

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, ...

; Legion of Honor and Croix de Guerre with Palm (

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

); and

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisa ...

2nd Class, (

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

Later career

After retiring from the military, MacKelvie resided in Battle Creek, Michigan. In the 1950s and 1960s he was a civil defense consultant, chairman of Battle Creek's Civil Defense Advisory Council, and a member of Michigan's Civil Defense Advisory Council. MacKelvie was a member of the

Calhoun County Calhoun County is the name of several counties in the United States of America named after U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun: * Calhoun County, Alabama * Calhoun County, Arkansas * Calhoun County, Florida * Calhoun County, Georgia * Calhoun Cou ...

Board of Social Welfare, and was also involved in several civic projects, including the creation of the

Hart–Dole–Inouye Federal Center The Hart–Dole–Inouye Federal Center, formerly the Battle Creek Federal Center, is a complex of federal buildings located in Battle Creek, Michigan.U.S. General Services Administration page on thHart–Dole–Inouye Federal Center History The ...

and serving as vice president and president of the board of directors for the Battle Creek Civic Art Center."A Soldier Says Another Farewell: Brig. Gen. Jay W. MacKelvie and Wife Moving to Denver"
/ref> In 1964 his wife and he relocated to

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

so they could live closer to their son Philip's family.

Death and burial

MacKelvie died in

on December 5, 1985. He 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 ...

, Section 59 Lot 432.

Family

In 1924, MacKelvie was married to Ethel Leonard (1896-1985) of Battle Creek. They were the parents of two sons, Jay W. MacKelvie Jr. and Philip A. MacKelvie.

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:MacKelvie, Jay W. 1890 births 1985 deaths United States Army Cavalry Branch personnel United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel United States Army generals United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army generals of World War II United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Legion of Honour People from Kingsbury County, South Dakota People from Denver Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from South Dakota