Philip Bracken Fleming (October 15, 1887 – October 6, 1955) 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 ...

general and

United States Ambassador to Costa Rica The following is a list of United States ambassadors, or other chiefs of mission, to Costa Rica. On February 16, 2022, Cynthia Telles was sworn in as the 60th ambassador to the Republic of Costa Rica. See also * Costa Rica – United States re ...

Biography

The

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

-born Fleming was son of John Joseph and Mary Bracken Fleming. From 1905 to 1907 he attended the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. Fleming was cadet at 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 ...

from June 15, 1907, until June 13, 1911, when he graduated first in his class. Many of his classmates, such as

Charles P. Hall Lieutenant General Charles Philip Hall (December 12, 1886 – January 26, 1953) was a senior officer of the United States Army who fought in both World War I and World War II. He was the commander of XI Corps during World War II and the principal ...

William H. H. Morris Jr. Lieutenant General William Henry Harrison Morris Jr. (March 22, 1890 – March 30, 1971) was a senior United States Army officer who fought in both World War I and World War II. Early life and military career William Morris was born in the Oc ...

, Alexander Surles, John R. Homer, Raymond A. Wheeler,

John P. Lucas Major General John Porter Lucas (January 14, 1890 – December 24, 1949) was a senior officer of the United States Army who saw service in World War I and World War II. He is most remembered for being the commander of VI Corps during the Battle of ...

, Harry R. Kutz,

Herbert Dargue Herbert Arthur "Bert" Dargue (November 17, 1886 – December 12, 1941) was a career officer in the United States Army, reaching the rank of major general in the Army Air Forces. He was a pioneer military aviator and one of the first ten recipi ...

Ira T. Wyche Major General Ira Thomas Wyche (16 October 1887 – 8 July 1981) was a career officer in the United States Army who ultimately became Inspector General of the United States Army. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, du ...

, Karl S. Bradford,

Frederick Gilbreath Frederick Gilbreath (21 February 1888 – 28 February 1969) was a general officer in the United States Army who commanded the San Francisco Port of Embarkation and the South Pacific Base Command during World War II. Early life Frederick Gilbrea ...

, Gustav H. Franke,

Paul W. Baade Major general (United States), Major General Paul William Baade (April 16, 1889 – October 9, 1959) was a highly decorated United States Army officer. The United States Military Academy (USMA) alumni and veteran of World War I, he is most noted ...

, Jesse A. Ladd,

Thompson Lawrence Thompson may refer to: People * Thompson (surname) * Thompson M. Scoon (1888–1953), New York politician Places Australia *Thompson Beach, South Australia, a locality Bulgaria * Thompson, Bulgaria, a village in Sofia Province Canada * ...

Bethel Wood Simpson Bethel ( he, בֵּית אֵל, translit=Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; el, Βαιθήλ; la, Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanct ...

, James B. Crawford, Joseph C. Mehaffey, Harold F. Nichols and

James R.N. Weaver James Roy Newman Weaver (May 20, 1888 – August 29, 1967) was an American brigadier general and commander of the Provisional Tank Group during the Battle of Bataan. Biography James R. N. Weaver was born in Fremont, Ohio on May 20, 1888. He at ...

, became

general officer 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 O ...

s before, during or after

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 opposin ...

He was promoted to Second Lieutenant, Corps of Engineers. During his military career, he held the following ranks: August 1, 1935 Lieutenant-Colonel, January 1, 1940 Colonel, February 14, 1941 Brigadier-General (Army of the United States), October 25, 1942 Major-General (Army of the United States), January 31, 1947 Major-General (Regular Army, Retired). Still serving in the U. S. Army through January 1947, he held several posts in the late 1930s as District Engineer in Maine and Minnesota, then two jobs in the Labor Department, and from December 4, 1941 to May 26, 1949 as Federal Works Administrator. In 1949 he became Chairman of the

US Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

, and in May 1950 Under-Secretary of Commerce. From 1951 to 1953, he served as ambassador to Costa Rica. He died on October 6, 1955. Fleming 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 ...

References

External links

Generals of World War II
1887 births 1955 deaths People from Burlington, Iowa University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Iowa United States Army Corps of Engineers personnel United States Army personnel of World War I Army Black Knights athletic directors Franklin D. Roosevelt administration personnel United States Army generals of World War II Truman administration personnel United States Army generals Ambassadors of the United States to Costa Rica Burials at Arlington National Cemetery {{US-diplomat-stub