Raymond Race Wright (February 5, 1892 – February 19, 1964) was an officer of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

with the rank of

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 Paymaster General of the Marine Corps 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 opposin ...

Early career

Raymond R. Wright was born on February 5, 1892, in

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...

, and attended the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

. He graduated on 5 June 1915 and was commissioned second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on the same date. Wright subsequently attended the

School of Application The United States Marine Corps Officer Candidates School (OCS) is a training regiment designed to screen and evaluate potential Marine Corps Officers. Those who successfully complete the period of instruction are commissioned as Second Lieutena ...

and graduated at the end of August 1915. He was subsequently assigned to the Marine detachment aboard the battleship '' USS New Jersey'' and sailed to

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

, where he participated in the foreign shore duties. Wright then participated with his detachment in the Occupation duties in Haiti and returned to the United States in November 1918, already with the rank of captain. After his arrival, Wright was assigned to the Paymaster Department within

Headquarters Marine Corps Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) is a headquarters staff within the Department of the Navy which includes the offices of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and various staff functions. The function, ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and was transferred to the Department of Pacific under the command of Major General

George Barnett George Barnett (December 9, 1859April 27, 1930) was the 12th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. He was a pioneer of amphibious warfare and the U.S. Marine Commandant during American involvement in World War I. Early life and educatio ...

. He was transferred to the 1st Brigade of Marines and sent back to

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

in February 1923.

Interwar period

Following his return to the States, Wright served again with Paymaster Department in Washington, D.C. and as Assistant Paymaster at Marine Barracks in

Philadelphia 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 ...

until 31 March 1928. He was then assigned to the 2nd Marine Brigade as Brigade Paymaster and sent to

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

, where he participated in the suppression of the Sandino Rebellion. Wright was promoted to the rank of major in June 1929 and returned to the United States in May 1930. For his service in Nicaragua, he was decorated with Nicaraguan Presidential Order of Merit with Gold Star and also received a Special letter of commendation for his ''"distinguished service in the line of his profesion as Brigade Paymaster"'' from the

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

Charles Francis Adams III Charles Francis Adams III (August 2, 1866 – June 10, 1954) was an American lawyer and politician, who served as the 44th United States Secretary of the Navy under President Herbert Hoover from 1929 to 1933. He was skipper of the Resolute which ...

. Wright then served again with Department of Pacific, where he was appointed officer in charge of the assistant paymaster's office. In January 1931, Major Wright was appointed assistant chief of staff for supply and paymaster of the department. His next assignment came in June 1933, when he was transferred to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and appointed assistant chief of staff for Reserves within Western Recruiting Area. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in March 1935. Lt.Colonel Wright attended Senior course at

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, and graduated in June 1936. After graduation, Wright was sent back to the

, where he served first as personnel officer in the Division of Operations and Training and later was appointed executive officer in the Paymaster Department.

World War II

Wright was promoted to the rank 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 ...

on 1 June 1939 and appointed Paymaster in the Department of Pacific,

in September of the same year. He was subsequently promoted to the 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 ...

in February 1942 and appointed Paymaster General of the Marine Corps on the same date. In this capacity, Wright was responsible for the maintaining of the financial integrity of the Corps. He served in this capacity for the duration of the War and was promoted to the rank of

on 22 June 1945. Wright retired from the Marine Corps in August 1946. For his service in this capacity, Major General Wright was decorated with 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 ...

Decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright (USMC), Raymond R. 1892 births 1964 deaths People from Council Bluffs, Iowa United States Naval Academy alumni Naval War College alumni United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I United States Marine Corps World War II generals American military personnel of the Banana Wars United States Marines United States Marine Corps generals Recipients of the Legion of Merit Military personnel from Iowa