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, 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 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 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. 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 in 1893 with an bachelor of laws and was admitted to the bar.

Career

McRoberts practiced law in Chicago, Illinois. From 1895 to 1900, he was an attorney for Armour and Company, 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 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 of LL.D. in 1919. McRoberts served as Chairman of The Economic Club of New York for the term 1930 to 1932.

Personal life

On October 9, 1895, McRoberts married Mary Agnes Caldwell of Wichita, Kansas; she died in 1904. He married Harriet Pearl Skinner of Creston, Iowa, on September 1, 1906. McRoberts died in New York City 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