Samuel Hof (October 24, 1870 – March 10, 1937) was an officer in the

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 ...

during

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 ...

. He was 13th Chief of Ordnance for the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps.

Biography

Samuel Hof was born on October 24, 1870, in

Boscobel, Wisconsin Boscobel is a city in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,286 at the 2020 census. Approximately 0.6 mi. (1 km) to the north of the city, across a riparian swamp, is the Wisconsin River. U.S. Route 61 crosse ...

, and graduated from

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

in 1894. Some of his classmates also became general officers, including Frank Parker, Hamilton S. Hawkins III, George H. Estes, John W. Joyes, Ora E. Hunt, Pegram Whitworth, Briant H. Wells, John F. Preston, Francis L. Parker, Paul B. Malone and George Vidmer. He was originally commissioned a second lieutenant of cavalry in 1894, but he was later transferred to the Ordnance Corps. For his service as a commanding officer of the

Frankford Arsenal The Frankford Arsenal is a former United States Army ammunition plant located adjacent to the Bridesburg neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, north of the original course of Frankford Creek. History Opened in 1816 on of land p ...

during World War I, he was later awarded with the Distinguished Service Medal. Hof graduated from the

United States 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 offic ...

in 1921 and earned an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in 1926. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1927 and major general in 1930. He was

Chief of Ordnance The United States Army Ordnance Corps, formerly the United States Army Ordnance Department, is a Combat service support (United States), sustainment branch of the United States Army, headquartered at Fort Lee (Virginia), Fort Lee, Virginia. The ...

from 1930 to 1934. His four-year term came at the height of the Depression resulting in a significant decrease in funding for the

Ordnance Department The United States Army Ordnance Corps, formerly the United States Army Ordnance Department, is a sustainment branch of the United States Army, headquartered at Fort Lee, Virginia. The broad mission of the Ordnance Corps is to supply Army comb ...

. Despite these difficulties, there was a general advance in the design and manufacturing of ordnance materiel. He made a number of recommendations for improved efficiencies in the department's supply responsibilities. Hof moved to

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, ...

, in 1927 when he became Assistant Chief of Ordnance and retired from the Army in 1934. He died of heart disease on March 10, 1937, in Walter Reed Hospital aged 66. Hof is buried together with his wife Alice Mayo Hof (1873–1962) at

West Point Cemetery West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery in the eastern United States, on the grounds of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for Revolutionary War soldiers and ear ...

Distinguished Service Medal citation

His award citation reads: ''The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Colonel (Ordnance Corps) Samuel Hof, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in positions of great responsibility first as commanding officer, Frankford Arsenal from March 1918 to March 1919, where, by his indefatigable energy, outstanding administrative ability, and thorough technical knowledge, he brought to a successful production, basic tracer, incendiary, and armor-piercing small-arms ammunition, and supplied substantially all that was used by our troops; later as acting chairman of the ordnance claims board, where, by his energy, tact and business ability, he secured the settlement of outstanding obligations and later as chief of field service, ordnance department, where he perfected the organization and controlled the disposition of vast quantities of materials and plants left over from the war.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hof, Samuel 1870 births 1937 deaths People from Boscobel, Wisconsin United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Wisconsin American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) United States Army War College alumni Harvard Business School alumni United States Army generals Military personnel from Washington, D.C. Burials at West Point Cemetery