William Edward Cole (September 22, 1874 – May 18, 1953) was a decorated officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

with 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 a ...

. He distinguished himself as training officer and commander of the 11th Field Artillery Brigade and received the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

. Originally a field artillery officer, he was later transferred to the Coast Artillery Corps and held numerous assignments in that branch. Cole reached the rank of major general and completed his career as commanding general, Second United States Army in 1938. Following the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he was recalled to active duty and served as a Member of the War Department Personnel Board until his second retirement in September 1944.

Early career

William Edward Cole (1874–1953) at West Point in 1898

William E. Cole was born on September 22, 1874, in

Willard, Utah Willard is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,772 at the 2010 census. Geography Willard is located in southeastern Box Elder County and is bordered by the city of Perry to the north and the unincorporated com ...

as the son of William E. Cole and Mary Jane Merrell. Following high school, he received an appointment to 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 ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

. He graduated with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

on July 5, 1898, and was commissioned second lieutenant in the Field Artillery branch. Many of his classmates became general officers later: Conrad S. Babcock,

Lytle Brown Lytle Brown (November 22, 1872 – May 3, 1951) was a U.S. Army officer who fought in the Spanish–American War and participated in the Mexican Expedition of 1916. Brown served as Chief of Engineers from 1929 to 1933. Early life Born November ...

, Edwin D. Bricker, Fox Conner, Malin Craig,

Robert C. Davis Robert Courtney Davis (October 12, 1876 – September 2, 1944) was an officer in the United States Army who served as Adjutant General of the U.S. Army from 1922 to 1927. Early life Robert C. Davis was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on October ...

, Berkeley Enochs,

Amos Fries Amos Alfred Fries (1873–1963) was a general in the United States Army and 1898 graduate of the United States Military Academy. Fries was the second chief of the army's Chemical Warfare Service, established during World War I. Fries served ...

, James B. Gowen, Guy Henry, Manus MacCloskey, Thomas E. Merrill, George A. Nugent, Marcellus G. Spinks,

David L. Stone David Lamme Stone Jr. (15 August 1876 – 28 December 1959) was a United States Army major general. As a junior officer in 1917, he supervised the creation of Camp Lewis in Washington state. As a general officer in 1936, he returned there to com ...

or William P. Wooten. Upon his graduation, Cole served at Fort Barrancas,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, and thus did not participate in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

or the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

during 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 = (clock ...

. He later served as quartermaster at

Fort Totten, New York Fort Totten is a former active United States Army installation in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located on the Willets Point peninsula on the north shore of Long Island. Fort Totten is at the head of Little Neck Bay, where the E ...

between 1908 and 1911 and in the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

from 1914 to 1917 when a Coast Artillery District was being formed. Cole served as district material officer and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on June 22, 1917.

World War I

By the end of September 1917, Cole returned to the United States and joined the Office of the Adjutant-General under Major General

Henry P. McCain Major general (United States), Major General Henry Pinckney McCain (January 23, 1861 – July 25, 1941) was an officer in the United States Army who served as List of Adjutants General of the U.S. Army, Adjutant General of the Army from 1914 to 191 ...

. However, he remained in this capacity just for one month and joined 351st Field Artillery Regiment as commanding officer and newly promoted temporary colonel. The 351st Field Artillery was one of the segregated artillery components of 92nd Infantry Division and consisted mostly of

African Americans 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 ...

. Cole spent several months with intensive training at

Camp Meade Camp George G. Meade near Middletown, Pennsylvania, was a camp established and subsequently abandoned by the U.S. Volunteers during the Spanish–American War. History Camp Meade was established August 24, 1898, and soon thereafter was occupi ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, and finally embarked with his regiment for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in June 1918. He landed in

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress *Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria *Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France **Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Brest, ...

on June 26, and proceeded for further training in

Montmorillon Montmorillon () is a commune in central-western France, in the Vienne department of which it is a sub-prefecture, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Its inhabitants are called ''Montmorillonnaises'' ''and Montmorillonnais''. Montmorillon is a Book town an ...

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Saulgé Saulgé () is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central-western France. The village is located 50 km southeast of Poitiers and 80 km northwest of Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) ...

. Cole was promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier general on August 8, 1918, and ordered back to the United States. He was appointed commanding general of the 11th Field Artillery Brigade and began with the intensive training program of the brigade for combat deployment in France. However, due to signing of the armistice in November 1918, the brigade did not go overseas. Cole was appointed commanding general of the 20th Field Artillery Brigade in mid-December and held that command until the beginning of January 1919, when he assumed command of Camp Jackson,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, where he supervised the demobilization of homecoming troops. For his service during World War I, he was decorated with the

, the citation for which reads:

Interwar period

Cole was reverted to the peacetime rank of lieutenant colonel in April 1919 and ordered back 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, ...

, where he joined the Office of the Adjutant-General under Major General

Peter C. Harris Major General Peter Charles Harris (November 10, 1865 – March 18, 1951) was an officer in the United States Army who served as Adjutant General of the U.S. Army from 1918 to 1922. Early life and education Harris was born on November 10, 18 ...

. He spent almost four months in that office and assumed command of 30th Coast Artillery Brigade with headquarters at

Fort Eustis Fort Eustis is a United States Army installation in Newport News, Virginia. In 2010, it was combined with nearby Langley Air Force Base to form Joint Base Langley–Eustis. The post is the home to the United States Army Training and Doctrine Co ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. This railway brigade was tasked with the coastal defense in the area of

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...

and Cole remained in that capacity until the end of May 1921. He also held additional temporary duty as commanding officer, Coast Artillery Training Center, Fort Monroe in September–November 1920. He then assumed command of 43rd Coast Artillery Regiment in May 1921 and held that command for two months, before he was attached to the Office of the Chief of Coast Artillery Corps. Cole then served as Assistant to the Chief of Coast Artillery, Major General

Frank W. Coe Frank W. Coe (November 27, 1870 – May 25, 1947) was a major general in the United States Army. He is notable for having served as the Chief of Coast Artillery. Early life Frank Winston Coe was born in Manhattan, Kansas on November 27, 1870. H ...

until the end of December 1924, when he was ordered to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

for duty as chief of staff of the Hawaiian Coast Artillery Brigade under Brigadier General Richmond P. Davis. Following the deactivation of the brigade in May 1925, Cole assumed duty as commanding officer of the 55th Coast Artillery Brigade and simultaneously served as commanding officer of the Coast Defenses of

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

. He was promoted to the permanent rank of colonel on July 1, 1927, and left Hawaii shortly thereafter. Cole was then sent to the Fort Monroe,

, and assumed duty as president of the Coast Artillery Board, which was responsible for the recommendations for innovations in the coast artillery corps. While in this capacity, Cole was given additional duty as commanding officer of the 30th Coast Artillery Brigade in January 1929. Cole was promoted to the permanent rank of brigadier general on January 13, 1930, and ordered to the General Officers' Refresher Course at

Fort Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...

, Georgia, which he completed in March 1930. He then assumed command of 1st Coast Artillery District with headquarters in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, and was responsible for the coastal defense of harbors and operationally significant maritime areas of the North Atlantic seaboard. This area included: Harbor Defenses of Boston,

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Sma ...

New Bedford New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, and

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. After a period of service with coast artillery units, Cole was appointed commanding general of the 22nd Infantry Brigade in October 1930 and served with that unit on

until January 1931, when he assumed duty as commanding officer of the Hawaiian Separate Coast Artillery Brigade. He was relieved by Brigadier General Robert S. Abernethy by the beginning of October 1932 and was appointed commanding officer of the 2nd Coast Artillery District 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 ...

. He was responsible for the coastal defense of harbors and operationally significant maritime areas of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, and

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

and was promoted to major general on December 1, 1935. Cole assumed command of Fifth Corps Area at Fort Benjamin Harrison. While in this capacity, he also held additional duty as commanding general of the Second United States Army in December 1936 – September 1937.

World War II and death

Cole retired from active duty on September 30, 1938, but his retirement did not last long. He was recalled to active duty following the Japanese

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

in December 1941 and was attached to the War Department Personnel Board, a body responsible for selecting individuals who were to receive direct commissions in the Army. He served as a member of this board under his West Point classmate and former chief of staff, General Malin Craig, until September 5, 1944, when he retired for a second time, completing almost 44 years of service. Following his second retirement, Cole was active in

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

and died following a long illness on May 18, 1953, at

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC)known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951was the U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in the District of Columbia, it served more than 150,000 active and ret ...

. He was buried with full military honors at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. Together with his wife, Agnes Casey Cole (1878–1969), they had three sons: Colonel Hubert M. Cole, William E. Cole Jr. in diplomatic service in Africa and Francis K. Cole, lawyer in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

Robert C. Freeman Robert C. Freeman is a professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University (BYU) where he has taught for over 20 years. Freeman is the director of the Saints at War Project which he co-founded with colleague Dr. Dennis A. Wright. R ...

, "Latter-day Saints in the World Wars", ''Out of Obscurity: The LDS Church in the Twentieth Century'' (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 2000) p. 111

Quote

Following his death, his West Point classmate and lifelong friend, Major General

, said about him:

Decorations

Here is Major General Cole's ribbon bar:

References

External links

Arlington National Cemetery bio of ColeArlington National CemeteryArmy Distinguished Service Medal Citation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, William E. 1874 births 1953 deaths Military personnel from Utah People from Willard, Utah Latter Day Saints from Utah United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals United States Army Coast Artillery Corps personnel Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army generals of World War II United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel