Walter Augustus Bethel (November 25, 1866 – January 11, 1954) was a career 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 ...

. A veteran of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

and

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 attained the rank of

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 ...

and was most notable for his service as

Judge Advocate General of the United States Army The Judge Advocate General of the United States Army (TJAG) is the senior officer of the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the United States Army. Under Title 10 of the United States Code, the TJAG is appointed by the President of the United Stat ...

from 1923 to 1924.

Early life

Bethel was born in

Freeport, Ohio :''Freeport is also the former name of the Warren County town of Oregonia.'' Freeport is a village in Harrison County, Ohio, United States. The population was 369 at the 2010 census. History Freeport was laid out in 1810. A post office has bee ...

, the son of David Ridgley Bethel and Rebecca Jane (Brown) Bethel. He entered the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

and graduated number fourteen in the class of 1889. Among his fellow graduates included several men who would become general officers, such as

Charles Dudley Rhodes Charles Dudley Rhodes (February 10, 1865 – January 24, 1948) was a United States Army major general. He was a prominent commander of cavalry units from the Indian Wars through World War I, and was a lecturer and author. Early life The son of M ...

Clement Flagler Clement Alexander Finley Flagler (August 17, 1867 – May 7, 1922) was a United States Army Major General who was noteworthy as regimental, brigade and division commander in World War I. The son of Daniel Webster Flagler and grandson of Clemen ...

Eben Eveleth Winslow Eben Eveleth Winslow (May 13, 1866 – June 28, 1928) was a career officer in the United States Army. He graduated from the United States Military Academy ranked first in the Class of 1889, and served in the Army's United States Army Corps of Eng ...

, Frank Daniel Webster,

William G. Haan Major general (United States), Major General William George Haan (October 4, 1863 – October 26, 1924) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer. He commanded the 32nd Infantry Division (United States), 32nd Division during ...

, Winthrop S. Wood, Chester Harding,

William L. Kenly William Lacy Kenly (February 18, 1864 – January 10, 1928) was a Major general (United States), major general in the United States Army. During World War I, he was a leader of the United States Army Air Service, the progenitor of the United Stat ...

Joseph D. Leitch Joseph D. Leitch (March 8, 1864 - October 26, 1938) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the American Indian Wars, Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, United States occupation of Veracruz, World War I, and ...

, William S. Graves, George LeRoy Irwin, William Wright Harts,

Edward McGlachlin Jr. Major General Edward Fenton McGlachlin Jr. (June 9, 1868 – November 9, 1946) was a United States Army officer who distinguished himself during World War I. Early life Edward Fenton McGlachlin Jr. was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin on June 9, ...

, Charles Crawford and William Lassiter.

Charles Young Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

was another distinguished graduate, becoming the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

to attain the rank of colonel.

Career

Bethel was commissioned in the artillery. He received his B.L. degree from Atlanta Law School in 1892 and switched to the Judge Advocate General's Department. In 1894, he received his LL.M. degree from

Columbian Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of co ...

(now George Washington University Law School) in

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, ...

During 1894 and 1895, he was an instructor of chemistry at the United States Military Academy. From 1895 to 1899 he instructed law at West Point. He served on the Puerto Rican Expedition from January to November 1898.Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. P. 33-34 On August 5, 1917, he was promoted to brigadier general and was the Judge Advocate General from 1917 to 1920. After the war, he served in the JAG headquarters in Washington. In 1923, Bethel became the Judge Advocate General of the army, with the rank of major general. In 1924, he retired due to poor eyesight, and from 1926 to 1947 he engaged in the practice of international law. In 1940, Atlanta Law School awarded Bethel 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 hon ...

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

Awards

He received the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his actions during

, the citation for which reads:

Death and legacy

Walter Augustus Bethel died at the age of eighty-seven on January 11, 1954.Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. ''Generals in Khaki''. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. P. 34

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bethel, Walter Augustus 1866 births 1954 deaths United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni Atlanta Law School alumni George Washington University Law School alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) American lawyers United States Military Academy faculty Military personnel from Ohio Burials at West Point Cemetery