Major General Samuel McRoberts (December 20, 1868 – September 8, 1947) was an American attorney, businessman, and U.S. Army officer. He was notable for his success as a manager with the Armour corporation, and an executive and board of directors member for numerous other corporations and banks. 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 commissioned 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 ...

and promoted to

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 ...

as one of several business leaders who were recruited to government and military service in order to provide guidance and advice on the acquisition and production of war materiel. McRoberts continued to serve in the Organized Reserve even after retiring from business in 1925, and provided input to the War Department on the equipping of the Army until retiring as a

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 ...

in 1938.

Early life

Samuel McRoberts was born on December 20, 1868 in

Malta Bend, Missouri Malta Bend is a city in Saline County, Missouri, United States. The population was 250 at the 2010 census. History Malta Bend was platted in 1867. The community was named after a nearby meander on the Missouri River where steamer ''Malta'' sa ...

to Alexander Highlander McRoberts, a farmer, and Ellen ( Sisk) McRoberts. His grandparents were Alexander and Nancy ( Donnell) McRoberts, and his great grandfather was Samuel McRoberts, who came to Virginia from Scotland during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. He attended Baker University, where he received an A.B. degree in 1891 and an M.A. in 1894. He graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1893 with an

bachelor of laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

and was admitted to the bar.

Career

McRoberts practiced law in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. From 1895 to 1900, he was an attorney for

Armour and Company Armour & Company was an American company and was one of the five leading firms in the meat packing industry. It was founded in Chicago, in 1867, by the Armour brothers led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company had become Chicago's most ...

, and he later transferred to the financial department. His success as a manager and executive led to his appointment as treasurer of the company and general manager in 1904. While with Armour, he also served as president of the Illinois Tunnel Company for three years. McRoberts moved to New York City in 1909, and was vice president of the National City Bank in New York until his resignation in 1917.

Military career

In 1917, McRoberts was one of several prominent businessmen and corporate executives whose services were requested by the government because of their expertise in manufacturing, as well as other materiel production and management skills. McRoberts was initially commissioned as a

for service in the Ordnance Department in Washington, D.C. On November 28, 1917, he was promoted to colonel and assigned as Chief of the Procurement Division. On August 8, 1918, he was promoted to brigadier general and sent to France, where he served until the end of the war. During his military service, McRoberts provided advice and guidance on site selection for factories, as well as other management functions, including finance and budgeting, design of assembly lines, and production schedules. McRoberts remained in uniform until receiving his discharge on January 15, 1919, and was then commissioned as a brigadier general in the Officers Reserve Corps. In recognition of his wartime contributions, McRoberts received the Distinguished Service Medal and the French Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. He remained in the active Reserve until 1938, and was frequently asked to provide advice and guidance to the

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...

on the production and fielding of military equipment.

Post-World War I

After the war, McRoberts resumed his business career. In 1922 he became President of the

Metropolitan Trust Company The Metropolitan Trust Company of the City of New York was a trust company located in New York City that was founded in 1881. The trust company merged with the Chatham and Phenix National Bank in 1925 under the name of the Chatham Phenix National ...

, a position he held until retiring in 1925. In addition, he served on the board of directors of several financial institutions and other companies, including the American Sugar Refining Company and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. McRoberts donated to many charitable causes, notably in obtaining settlement rights for a group of Canadian Mennonites in Paraguay. He published two books, 'The Extension of American Banking in Foreign Countries' in 1910 and 'Russia's Future Needs for Capital' in 1916. Baker University awarded him the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

of LL.D. in 1919. McRoberts served as Chairman of

The Economic Club of New York The Economic Club of New York is a U.S. nonprofit and non-partisan membership organization dedicated to promoting the study and discussion of social, economic and political questions. History Founded in 1907, the Economic Club of New York is t ...

for the term 1930 to 1932.

Personal life

On October 9, 1895, McRoberts married Mary Agnes Caldwell of

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

; she died in 1904. He married Harriet Pearl Skinner of Creston, Iowa, on September 1, 1906. McRoberts died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on September 8, 1947. He was buried at Saint Matthew's Episcopal Churchyard in Bedford, New York.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:McRoberts, Samuel 1868 births 1947 deaths People from Saline County, Missouri Baker University alumni University of Michigan Law School alumni Lawyers from Chicago Businesspeople from Chicago Businesspeople from New York City United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Burials in New York (state) Military personnel from Illinois