The American Legion

The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of local posts. The organization was formed on March 15, 1919, in Paris, France, by a thousand officers and men of the American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.), and it was chartered on September 16, 1919, by the United States Congress.

The Legion played the leading role in the drafting and passing of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the "G.I. Bill". In addition to organizing commemorative events, members provide assistance at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals and clinics. It is active in issue-oriented U.S. politics. Its primary political activity is lobbying on behalf of interests of veterans and service members, including support for benefits such as pensions and the Veterans Health Administration. It has also historically promoted Americanism, individual obligation to the community, state, and nation; peace and good will.

History

The American Legion was established on March 15, 1919, in Paris, France, by delegates to a caucus meeting from units of the American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.), which adopted a tentative constitution. The action of the Paris Caucus was confirmed and endorsed by a similar meeting held in St. Louis, Missouri, from May 8 to 10, 1919, when the Legion was formally recognized by the troops who served in the United States. The Paris Caucus appointed an Executive Committee of seventeen officers and men to represent the troops in France in the conduct of the Legion. The St. Louis caucus appointed a similar Committee of Seventeen. These two national executive committees amalgamated and were the initial governing body of the Legion. The temporary headquarters was located in New York.

List of founding members

The men who initiated the formation of the Legion:

* Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., of the First Division
* Colonel Henry D. Lindsley, formerly Mayor of Dallas, Texas
* Colonel Horatio Nelson Jackson, US Army first person to drive an automobile across America
* Sergeant John J. Sullivan, of Seattle
* Lieutenant Colonel Franklin D'Olier, of Philadelphia
* Ex-Senator Luke Lea, of Tennessee
* Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Huidekoper, of Washington, D.C.
* Major Redmond C. Stewart, of Baltimore
* Wagoner Dale Shaw, of Iowa
* Lieutenant Colonel George A. White, of Oregon
* "Bill" Donovan, of the " Fighting 69th"
* Major Thomas R. Gowenlock, of Illinois
* Lieutenant Earl B. Dickerson, of the 92nd Division
* Sergeant Alvin York, of Tennessee
* Colonel John Price Jackson, of the S. O. S.
* Lieutenant Colonel "Jack" Greenway, of Arizona
* Sergeant Roy C. Haines, of Maine
* G. Edward Buxton, Jr., of Rhode Island
* Eric Fisher Wood, of Pennsylvania
* Chaplain John W. Inzer, of Alabama
* Lieutenant Colonel David M. Goodrich, of Akron
* Chief Petty Officer B. J. Goldberg, of Chicago
* "Tom" Miller, of Delaware
* Major Alex. Laughlin, Jr., of Pittsburgh
* Major Henry Leonard, of the Marine Corps
* Dwight F. Davis, of the 35th Division
* Corporal Charles S. Pew, of Montana
* Brigadier General William G. Price, of the 28th Division
* Bishop Charles H. Brent, Senior Chaplain of the A. E. F.
* Major General John F. O'Ryan, of the 27th Division
* Stewart Edward White, of California
* Private Jesus M. Baca, of New Mexico
* Brigadier General Charles H. Cole, of the 26th Division
* Sergeant E. L. Malsbary, of Nevada
* Lieutenant Samuel Gompers, Jr., of New York
* Colonel Henry L. Stimson, Ex-Secretary of War
* Lieutenant Colonel Charles W. Whittlesey, Commander of the " Lost Battalion"
* Roy Hoffman, of Oklahoma
* Lieutenant Colonel A. Piatt Andrew, of the American Ambulance in France
* Brigadier General Harvey J. Moss, of the State of Washington
* John MacVicar, Mayor of Des Moines before the War
* Sergeant George H. H. Pratt, of New Orleans
* Colonel F. W. Galbraith, of Cincinnati
* Corporal Joseph H. Fountain, of Vermont
* Devereux Milburn, of the 78th Division
* Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur Smith, of the 89th Division
* Sergeant Theodore Myers, of Pennsylvania
* Colonel Bennett C. Clark, son of Champ Clark
* Robert Bacon, Ex- Secretary of State

Headquarters

The national headquarters, informally known as American Legion headquarters, is located on the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza at 700 North Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the headquarters for the National Commander of The American Legion and also houses the archives, library, Membership, Internal Affairs, Public Relations, and ''The American Legion'' magazine's editorial offices. The national headquarters has expanded multiple times since its establishment.

Emblem

The World War I Victory Button on a narrow circular band of blue enamel, containing the words "American Legion" in gold letters, forms the central element of the American Legion Emblem. The Legion emblem or "button" was officially adopted by the National Executive Committee of The American Legion on July 9, 1919.

Eligibility

Membership in The American Legion was originally restricted to soldiers, sailors, and marines who served honorably between April 6, 1917, and November 11, 1918. Eligibility has since been expanded to include personnel who served on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States or armed forces associated with the U.S.,Amer. Legion Const. art. IV, § 1. between December 7, 1941, through a date of cessation of hostilities as determined by the federal government, and was an American citizen when they entered that service or continues to serve honorably. U.S. Merchant Marines who served between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, are also eligible. Honorary, associate, social, or guest memberships in the Legion are not permitted. Members must be eligible through the nature and timing of their military service.

The following is a list of eligibility dates used by The American Legion to determine membership eligibility.

Publication

The official publication, originally known as ''The American Legion Weekly,'' launched on July 4, 1919. In 1926, the Legion Weekly switched frequency of publication and was renamed ''The American Legion Monthly''. In 1936 the publication's name and volume numbering system changed again, this time to ''The American Legion''.''American Legion Magazine,''
.

Notable members

Notable members of The American Legion have included:

File:President Woodrow Wilson by Harris & Ewing, 1914-crop2.jpg, Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States
File:TRUMAN 58-766-06 (cropped).jpg, Harry Truman, 33rd President of the United States
File:Dwight D. Eisenhower, official photo portrait, May 29, 1959.jpg, Dwight Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States
File:John F. Kennedy, White House color photo portrait.jpg, John Kennedy, 35th President of the United States
File:37 Lyndon Johnson 3x4.jpg, Lyndon Johnson, 36th President of the United States
File:Richard M. Nixon, ca. 1935 - 1982 - NARA - 530679.tif (cropped).jpg, Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States
File:Gerald Ford presidential portrait (cropped).jpg, Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States
File:JimmyCarterPortrait2.jpg, Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States
File:Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981.jpg, Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States
File:George H. W. Bush, President of the United States, 1989 official portrait (cropped).jpg, George Bush, 41st President of the United States
File:George-W-Bush.jpeg, George Bush, 43rd President of the United States
File:MacArthur Manila (cropped).jpg, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Medal of Honor recipient
File:George S. Patton 01.jpg, General George Patton, Jr., two-time Distinguished Service Cross recipient
File:LC-DIG-ggbain-37582.jpg, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., Medal of Honor recipient
File:RickenbackerUSAF.jpg, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, Medal of Honor recipient
File:Humphrey Bogart publicity.jpg, Humphrey Bogart, Academy Award winner
File:Clark_Gable_-_publicity.JPG, Clark Gable, Academy Award winner

List of national commanders

# Franklin D'Olier, of Pennsylvania, 1919–1920
# Frederic W. Galbraith, Jr., of Ohio, 1920–1921
# John G. Emery, of Michigan, 1921
# Hanford MacNider, of Iowa, 1921–1922
# Alvin M. Owsley, of Texas, 1922–1923
# John R. Quinn, of California, 1923–1924
# James A. Drain, of Washington, 1924–1925
# John R. McQuigg, of Ohio, 1925–1926
# Howard P. Savage, of Illinois, 1926–1927
# Edward E. Spafford, of New York, 1927–1928
# Paul V. McNutt, of Indiana, 1928–1929
# O. L. Bodenhamer, of Arkansas, 1929–1930
# Ralph T. O'Neil, of Kansas, 1930–1931
# Henry L. Stevens, Jr., of North Carolina, 1931–1932
# Louis A. Johnson, of West Virginia, 1932–1933
# Edward A. Hayes, of Illinois, 1933–1934
# Frank N. Belgrano, of California, 1934–1935
# Ray Murphy, of Iowa, 1935–1936
# Harry W. Colmery, of Kansas, 1936–1937
# Daniel J. Doherty, of Massachusetts, 1937–1938
# Stephen F. Chadwick, of Washington, 1938–1939
# Raymond J. Kelly, of Michigan, 1939–1940
# Milo J. Warner, of Ohio, 1940–1941
# Lynn U. Stambaugh, of North Dakota, 1941–1942
# Roane Waring, of Tennessee, 1942–1943
# Warren H. Atherton, of California, 1943–1944
# Edward N. Scheiberling, of New York, 1944–1945
# John Stelle, of Illinois, 1945–1946
# Paul H. Griffith, of Pennsylvania, 1946–1947
# James F. O'Neill, of New Hampshire, 1947–1948
# S. Perry Brown, of Texas, 1948–1949
# George N. Craig, of Indiana, 1949–1950
# Erle Cocke, Jr., of Georgia, 1950–1951
# Donald R. Wilson, of West Virginia, 1951–1952
# Lewis K. Gough, of California, 1952–1953
# Arthur J. Connell, of Connecticut, 1953–1954
# Seaborn P. Collins, of New Mexico, 1954–1955
# J. Addington Wagner, of Michigan, 1955–1956
# Dan Daniel, of Virginia, 1956–1957
# John S. Gleason, Jr., of Illinois, 1957–1958
# Preston J. Moore, of Oklahoma, 1958–1959
# Martin B. McKneally, of New York, 1959–1960
# William R. Burke, of California, 1960–1961
# Charles L. Bacon, of Missouri, 1961–1962
# James E. Powers, of Georgia, 1962–1963
# Daniel F. Foley, of Minnesota, 1963–1964
# Donald E. Johnson, of Iowa, 1964–1965
# L. Eldon James, of Virginia, 1965–1966
# John E. Davis, of North Dakota, 1966–1967
# William E. Galbraith, of Nebraska, 1967–1968
# William C. Doyle, of New Jersey, 1968–1969
# J. Milton Patrick, of Oklahoma, 1969–1970
# Alfred P. Chamie, of California, 1970–1971
# John H. Geiger, of Illinois, 1971–1972
# Joe L. Matthews, of Texas, 1972–1973
# Robert E. L. Eaton, of Maryland, 1972–1973
# James M. Wagonseller, of Ohio, 1974–1975
# Harry G. Wiles, of Kansas, 1975–1976
# William J. Rogers, of Maine, 1976–1977
# Robert C. Smith, of Louisiana, 1977–1978
# John M. Carey, of Michigan, 1978–1979
# Frank I. Hamilton, of Indiana, 1979–1980
# Michael J. Kogutek, of New York, 1980–1981
# Jack W. Flynt, of Texas, 1981–1982
# Al Keller, Jr., of Illinois, 1982–1983
# Keith A. Kreul, of Wisconsin, 1983–1984
# Clarence M. Bacon, of Maryland, 1984–1985
# Dale L. Renaud, of Iowa, 1985–1986
# James P. Dean, of Mississippi, 1986–1987
# John P. Comer, of Massachusetts, 1987–1988
# H. F. Gierke III, of North Dakota, 1988–1989
# Miles S. Epling, of West Virginia, 1989–1990
# Robert S. Turner, of Georgia, 1990–1991
# Dominic D. DiFrancesco, of Pennsylvania, 1991–1992
# Roger A. Munson, of Ohio, 1992–1993
# Bruce Thiesen, of California, 1993–1994
# William M. Detweiler, of Louisiana, 1994–1995
# Daniel A. Ludwig, of Minnesota, 1995–1996
# Joseph J. Frank, of Missouri, 1996–1997
# Anthony G. Jordan, of Maine, 1997–1998
# Harold L. Miller, of Virginia, 1998–1999
# Alan G. Lance, Sr., of Idaho, 1999–2000
# Ray G. Smith, of North Carolina, 2000–2001
# Richard J. Santos, of Maryland, 2001–2002
# Ronald F. Conley, of Pennsylvania, 2002–2003
# John A. Brieden III, of Texas, 2003–2004
# Thomas P. Cadmus, of Michigan, 2004–2005
# Thomas L. Bock, of Colorado, 2005–2006
# Paul A. Morin, of Massachusetts, 2006–2007
# Martin F. Conatser, of Illinois, 2007–2008
# David K. Rehbein, of Iowa, 2008–2009
# Clarence E. Hill, of Florida, 2009–2010
# Jimmie L. Foster, of Alaska, 2010–2011
# Fang A. Wong, of New York, 2011–2012
# James E. Koutz, of Indiana, 2012–2013
# Daniel Dellinger, of Virginia, 2013–2014
# Michael D. Helm, of Nebraska, 2014–2015
# Dale Barnett, of Georgia, 2015–2016
# Charles E. Schmidt, of Oregon, 2016–2017
# Denise H. Rohan, of Wisconsin, 2017–2018
# Brett P. Reistad, of Virginia, 2018–2019
# James W. Oxford, of North Carolina, 2019–2021
# Paul E. Dillard, of Texas, 2021–2022
# Vincent J. Troiola, of New York, 2022–2023

List of honorary commanders

* Marshal Ferdinand Foch, of the French Army
* General John J. Pershing, Commander in Chief of the A. E. F.

List of past national commanders by vote of national conventions

* Henry D. Lindsley, of Texas, 1919
* Milton J. Foreman, of Illinois, 1921
* Bennett Champ Clark, of Missouri, 1926
* Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., of New York, 1949
* Eric Fisher Wood, of Pennsylvania, 1955
* Thomas W. Miller, of Nevada, 1968
* Maurice Stember, of New York, 1975
* Hamilton Fish III, of New York, 1979
* E. Roy Stone, Jr., of South Carolina, 1987
* Robert W. Spanogle, of Michigan, 2008

See also

*''Freedom Bell, American Legion''
*List of members of the American Legion
*List of veterans' organizations

References

Citations

General sources

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Further reading

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External links

; Official
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; General information
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American Legion politician members
at The Political Graveyard

The American Legion Centennial Celebration
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Archives

Washington American Legion Records
1919–1920. 4 microfilm reels. At th
Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections


Stephen Fowler Chadwick Papers
1917–1974. 21.1 cubic feet. At th
Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries Special Collections

{{Authority control

American Legion,
1919 establishments in France
501(c)(19) nonprofit organizations
Advocacy groups in the United States
Aftermath of World War I in France
Aftermath of World War I in the United States
American veterans' organizations
Charities based in Indiana
Lobbying organizations in the United States
Magazine publishing companies of the United States
Nonpartisan organizations in the United States
Non-profit organizations based in Indianapolis
Organizations established in 1919
Patriotic and national organizations chartered by the United States Congress
Service organizations based in the United States
Title 36 of the United States Code