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 ...

Edward Leonard King (December 5, 1873 – December 27, 1933) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player and coach and 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 ...

. He played college football as the halfback at 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 ...

from 1894 to 1895 and served as the head coach of the Army football team in 1903. King was a career military officer who served in 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 was the

Commandant of the United States Army Command and General Staff College The Commandant of the United States Army Command and General Staff College is the highest-ranking official at the United States Army's Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, installation. The position is similar to the West Point Superintendent and is roughly ...

from 1925 to 1929 and attained the rank of major general.

Military career

King was born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts in 1873 and entered the

(USMA) at

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 ...

in 1892.Obituary of Edward Leonard King, by Parke H. Davis, published in the 1934 Spalding's Official Football Guide, at page 223 He played at the halfback position for the

Army Black Knights football The Army Black Knights football team, previously known as the Army Cadets, represents the United States Military Academy in college football. Army is a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member of the NCAA. The Black Knights play home ...

team from 1894 to 1895. He was also selected captain of the Army football team in 1895. Football historian Parke H. Davis later wrote of King:

Of his foot ball days he is remembered as a swift, elusive, crashing and flashing back; courageous, tenacious and chivalrous; a true soldier of the gridiron as he was of the real battle-fields.

Among his fellow classmates there were several men who would, like King himself, eventually attain the rank of general officer, such as Merch Bradt Stewart, Lucius Roy Holbrook, Dennis E. Nolan, Frank C. Bolles, LeRoy Eltinge and George Henry Shelton. King was then commissioned as a second lieutenant and served in the

. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

for service in the Philippines in 1899. The commendation he received with the Distinguished Service Cross stated: "For extraordinary heroism in action near Imus, Cayite Province, Philippine Islands, October 6, 1899, while serving as Captain, United States Cavalry. His great personal bravery in disarming a hostile Filipino saved the life of a brother officer." In 1903, King returned to West Point and served one year as the head coach of the Army football team. He led the team to a 6–2–1 record in the

1903 college football season The 1903 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the ''Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book'' listing Michigan and Princeton as having been selected national champions. Conference standings Major conference standings ...

. After the season, he agreed to serve as head coach for the academy's ice hockey team in its inaugural year. He also served in the Philippine–American War and served again in the Philippines from January 1910 through June 1912. King graduated from the Army School of the Line in 1913 and the Army Staff College in 1914. 111-SC-32095 - NARA - 55223342-cropped

In July 1916 he was promoted to major of the cavalry, and he attended the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military offic ...

from September 1916 to May 1917, a month after the

American entry into World War I American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, Following the American entry into the war, King was promoted to the rank of colonel in the National Army. He was the Chief of Staff of the 28th Division, a

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

formation known as the "Keystoners," in Camp Hancock,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, and also during part of its campaign in France. He arrived in Europe in May 1918 and was promoted to the rank of brigadier general the following month. He participated in the Marne offensive and counter-offensive starting July 15, 1918, and assumed command the 65th Brigade on July 31, 1918. He led the brigade in the battles of the Somme and Meuse-Argonne. He remained with the Army of Occupation in Luxemburg from December 1918, a month after the

Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

which ended hostilities, until April 1919 and returned to the United States in 1919. For his service in World War I, King received the Army Distinguished Service Medal, and France awarded him the Croix de Guerre with palm and made him an officer in the French Legion of Honor. The citation for his Distinguished Service Medal stated: King graduated from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

in 1920. He commanded the Army Cavalry School at

Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...

, Kansas from 1923 to 1925. From July 1925 to July 1929, Brigadier General King served as the

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perma ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

.Elvid Hunt, ''History of Fort Leavenworth, 1827–1937'', 2d ed. (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Command and General Staff School Press, 1937)
/ref> He served as assistant chief of staff for the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * D ...

from 1929 to 1932. King was promoted to major general in October 1931. He married his wife, Nancy Vose Sumner, in 1898; they had one daughter. His wife was the daughter of Brig. Gen. Edwin Vose Sumner Jr.. In December 1933, King died of a heart attack while on a hunt at Fort McPherson,

. He was buried at West Point.

Head coaching record

Football

Ice hockey

References

Bibliography

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Edward Leonard 1873 births 1933 deaths People from Bridgewater, Massachusetts 19th-century players of American football American football halfbacks Sportspeople from Plymouth County, Massachusetts Army Black Knights football players United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Massachusetts Army Black Knights football coaches Army Black Knights men's ice hockey coaches American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni United States Army generals of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Naval War College alumni Commandants of the United States Army Command and General Staff College United States Army generals Burials at West Point Cemetery