William Verbeck (January 18, 1861 - August 24, 1930) was a Dutch–American educator and soldier. He served as head of the St. John's Military Academy in New York. He also served as

Adjutant General of New York The Adjutant General of New York is the highest-ranking military official in the New York National Guard as the state adjutant general. The adjutant general is part of the state government's executive branch, and serves as head of the New York ...

, commander of the

New York National Guard The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs (NYS DMNA) is responsible for the state's New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard, New York Guard and the New York Naval Militia. It is headed by Adjutant General of New ...

from June 1, 1910, to January 1, 1913, and was given the rank of

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 ...

Early life and education

Verbeck was born in

Nagasaki, Japan is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 Square kilometre, km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders ...

, on January 18, 1861, the son of Guido Verbeck and Maria Verbeck (née Manion). His father worked in Nagasaki as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

and educator for the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

. He was one of six brothers and three sisters. His brother was the cartoonist,

Gustave Verbeek Gustave Verbeek (August 29, 1867 – December 5, 1937) was a Dutch-American illustrator and cartoonist, best known for his newspaper cartoons in the early 1900s featuring an inventive use of word play and visual storytelling tricks. Biography V ...

. In 1879, at the age of 18, Verbeck emigrated to the United States. He enrolled in the California Military Academy. He served in the Fifth California Infantry, rising to the rank of

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 ...

Career

Following in his father's footsteps, Verbeck began teaching at the Saint Matthew's Hall, in San Mateo, California, where he taught for two years. He moved to New York state to work with

C.J. Wright Peekskill Military Academy was a military academy for young men and women, founded in 1833 as Peekskill Academy, located in Peekskill, New York, United States. Background The academy was built by a hanging tree where a British spy was executed in ...

at the

Cayuga Lake Military Academy This is a list of military academies in the United States which are now defunct. Some of these schools have been absorbed into other organizations, or continued under changed name. A * Abingdon Male Academy (VA) * Admiral Billard Naval Academy ...

and the

Peekskill Military Academy Peekskill Military Academy was a military academy for young men and women, founded in 1833 as Peekskill Academy, located in Peekskill, New York, United States. Background The academy was built by a hanging tree where a British spy was executed in ...

. He moved to St. John's Academy, where he became its president, serving there until he became the Adjutant General of New York. He served as

, commander of the

, from June 1, 1910, to January 1, 1913, and was given the rank of

. Verbeck led the

National Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was inspired by and modeled on The Scout Association, The Boy Scouts Association, established by Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Robert Baden-Powell in Britain in 1908. In the early 1900s, several yout ...

(NSA), running summer camps for boys at

Camp Massawepie Seneca Waterways Council (SWC) is a local council of the Boy Scouts of America that serves youth in Ontario, Wayne, Seneca, Yates, and Monroe Counties in Western New York. The current Council President is Ted Orr. The current Council Scout Execu ...

in conjunction with the

Manlius School The gens Manlia () was one of the oldest and noblest patrician houses at Rome, from the earliest days of the Republic until imperial times. The first of the gens to obtain the consulship was Gnaeus Manlius Cincinnatus, consul in 480 BC, and for ...

. Upon the merger of the NSA with the Boy Scouts of America he briefly served as a National Commissioner of the Boy Scouts of America.

Personal life

He married Katherine Jordan on July 28, 1886. They had three children: Guido Fridolin, Karl Heinrich Willem and William Jordan. In 1927, Verbeck was made a Commander of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( it, Ordine della Corona d'Italia, italic=no or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for civi ...

. He was granted American citizenship on June 9, 1929, in an Act of Congress. He died on August 24, 1930, of heart disease at his home in Manlius.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verbeck, William 1861 births 1930 deaths New York National Guard personnel Adjutants General of New York (state) People from Nagasaki National Commissioners of the Boy Scouts of America