Roscoe Conklin "Rock" Cartwright (May 27, 1919 – December 1, 1974) was the United States' second-ever African American

U.S. 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 ...

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 ...

, third-ever African American U.S. general officer, and the first black field artilleryman promoted to

Early life, education and personal life

Cartwright was born in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

, on May 27, 1919. Raised in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, Cartwright graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1936. He attended

Kansas State Teachers College Emporia State University (Emporia State or ESU) is a public university in Emporia, Kansas, United States. Established in March 1863 as the Kansas State Normal School, Emporia State is the third-oldest public university in the state of Kansas. E ...

Emporia, Kansas Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 24,139. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 ...

. Unable to afford his tuition at Kansas State, Cartwright ended his studies and worked at the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin to ...

and the

Bubble Up Bubble Up is a lemon-lime soft drink brand created in 1919, by Sweet Valley Products Co. of Sandusky, Ohio. It is now manufactured by the Dad's Root Beer Company, LLC and owned by Hedinger Brands, LLC for the United States, Canada, and Mexico ...

Bottling Company. In June 1960, Cartwright graduated from San Francisco State College with a BA Degree in Social Science. He also earned an MBA from the University of Missouri. Cartwright was a 1974 initiate of

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved int ...

fraternity, a traditionally African-American college fraternity. While temporarily stationed at Camp Robinson near

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

, Cartwright married Gloria Lacefied Cartwright, a native of

Hope, Arkansas Hope is a city in Hempstead County in southwestern Arkansas, United States. Hope is the county seat of Hempstead County and the principal city of the Hope Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Hempstead and Nevada counties. As of ...

. They had four children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Military career

In 1941, the U.S. Army drafted Cartwright into the

US 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 ...

as an enlisted man. The segregated

assigned him to the all-African American enlisted men 349th Field Artillery Regiment at

Fort Sill, Oklahoma Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...

. The unit's officers were all white except the chaplain, an African American man. In November 1942, Cartwright graduated from Officers Candidate School, receiving a commission as a Field Artillery Second Lieutenant in the 599th Field Artillery Battalion of the all-African American brigade of the 92nd Infantry Division, best known as the

Buffalo Soldiers Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in t ...

Serving primarily in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, Cartwright remained with the 599th throughout the remainder of

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 ...

. After the war he was promoted 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 s ...

. For three years, Cartwright taught Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). As a

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 ...

, Cartwright served in Japan and Korea. In 1954 he was transferred from a segregated unit into the "regular" integrated army as a

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 ...

. He served in

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

until 1971, when he became the third African American after General

Benjamin O. Davis Sr. Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr. (May 28, 1880 – November 26, 1970) was a United States Army general. In 1940, he became the first African-American to rise to the rank of brigadier general. He was the father of Air Force General Benjamin O. Davis Jr ...

and General

Benjamin O. Davis Jr. Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. (December 18, 1912 – July 4, 2002) was a United States Air Force (USAF) general and commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen. He was the first African-American brigadier general in the USAF. On December 9, 1998, h ...

to be promoted to

. After working at

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

, Cartwright retired from the military in 1974. He had served in the U.S. military for 33 years.

Major assignments

* November 1963-August 1966: Comptroller, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Leavenworth, KS. * August 1966-July 1968: Management Analyst, later Chief, Management Planning Division, later Chief, Research and Development Division, Office of the Director of Management, Office, Comptroller of the Army, Washington, DC. * August 1968-June 1969: Student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, DC. * August 1969-January 1970: Commanding Officer, 108th Artillery Group, U.S. Army Pacific – Vietnam. * February–July 1970: Deputy Commanding Officer, U.S. Army Support Command, Cam Ranh Bay U.S. Army, Pacific – Vietnam. * August 1970-July 1971: Chief, Budget and Five Year Defense Program, Coordination Division, Manpower and Forces Directorate, Officer of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Force Development, U.S. Army, Washington, DC. * July–November 1971: Special Assistant to the Assistant Chief of Staff for Force Development, U.S. Army, Washington, DC. * November 1971-February 1972: Director of Management, Review and Analysis, Officer, Comptroller of the Army, Washington, DC. * February 1972-July 1973: Assistant Division Command, 3rd Infantry Division, U.S. Army, Europe. * August 1973-August 1974: Deputy Chief of Staff, Comptroller, U.S. Army, Europe and Seventh Army

Medals and awards

* Two (2)

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 ...

* Three (3)

Bronze Star 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 ...

s *

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: *Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Med ...

* Three (3)

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

* Three (3) Army Commendation Medal

Military schools

* The Artillery School, School, Advanced Course * United States Army Command and General Staff College * Industrial College of the Armed Forces

Death in TWA Flight 514 crash

On December 1, 1974, Cartwright and his wife Gloria were killed on

TWA Flight 514 Trans World Airlines Flight 514, registration N54328, was a Boeing 727-231 en route from Indianapolis, Indiana and Columbus, Ohio to Washington Dulles International that crashed into Mount Weather, Virginia, on Sunday, 1974. All 92 aboard, ...

when the Boeing 727, flying in bad weather, crashed into the wooded slope of a mountain northwest of

Dulles International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport , typically referred to as Dulles International Airport, Dulles Airport, Washington Dulles, or simply Dulles ( ), is an international airport in the Eastern United States, located in Loudoun County and Fai ...

. All 92 people aboard (85 passengers and 7 crew members) were killed. Cartwright's flight was the worst air disaster of 1974. Cartwright and Gloria were returning from visiting their daughter for

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...

. Cartwright was 55 years old; Gloria was 49 years old. Cartwright and his wife Gloria were 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 ...

Legacy

* In 1992,

West Virginia State College West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a public historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Colored Institute, it is one of the original 19 land-grant colleges and universities ...

posthumously inducted Cartwright into its ROTC Hall of Fame. * With Colonel Robert B. Burke, Cartwright co-founded on October 9, 1974

The Rocks, Inc. The Rocks Incorporated (Rocks, Inc.), was founded on October 9, 1974 by sixty-five United States Army officers in Washington, D.C. Headquartered in Forestville, Maryland and with over 1,100 members, it is the largest professional military officer ...

, the largest professional military officers organization with a majority African-American membership.MOAA Magazine "Reaching Up, Reaching Out"
The organization has been essential in the development of black military officers including member Colin Powell, as discussed in his autobiography. * The Roscoe C. Cartwright Prince Hall Masonic Lodge #129 in

Oxon Hill, Maryland Oxon Hill is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in southern Prince George's County, Maryland, Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Oxon Hill is a suburb of Washington, D.C., Washington, located southeast of the dow ...

is named for Cartwright.Roscoe C. Cartwright Prince Hall Masonic Lodge
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cartwright, Roscoe 1919 births 1974 deaths Accidental deaths in Virginia African-American United States Army personnel Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Emporia State University alumni San Francisco State University alumni United States Army generals United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1974 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States