Commandant of cadets

Logo of the Military Academy

The Commandant of Cadets is the ranking officer in charge of the Corps of Cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. The commandant is head of the Department of Tactics and, under the superintendent is responsible for the administration, discipline, and military training of cadets at the academy. A model for all cadets, the commandant is an academy graduate of impeccable character and bearing who has demonstrated accomplishment in both academic excellence and active military service in the field.

During the superintendency of Sylvanus Thayer, the corps of cadets was organized into a battalion of two companies with an officer of the army appointed as commander. In 1825, the office was designated as commandant of cadets. William J. Worth was the first officer to bear the title, though he had assumed the office several years previously, following three earlier battalion commanding officers.

Referring to the office in his work on Commandant Emory Upton, academy professor Peter Michie wrote: "His example should be that of the ideal soldier, officer, and gentleman. He should cultivate soldierly honor among the cadets until it attains vigorous growth. He should rebuke with severity the first tendency to prevarication or dishonesty in word or act. With a system of divided responsibility, which ultimately rests on one or two comrades, he should control all by strict and increasing exactions. To make his government successful he should be endowed with the highest soldierly qualities in personal bearing at drill, and even in every act while subject to vision of his corps"

Commandants

# Start End Name Class year Notability References 1 1817 1818 George W. Gardiner  1814 Killed in Dade's Massacre (second in command of the force under Major Dade) 2 1818 1819 John Bliss  — 3 1819 1820 John R. Bell  1812 4 1820 1828 William J. Worth  — 5 1829 1833 Ethan Allen Hitchcock  1817 Union Major General 6 1833 1838 John Fowle  — 7 1838 1842 Charles Ferguson Smith  1825 Union Major General 8 1842 1845 John Addison Thomas  1833 9 1845 1852 Bradford R. Alden  1831 10 1852 1854 Robert S. Garnett  1841 Confederate Brigadier General; killed in the Battle of Corrick's Ford 11 1854 1856 William H.T. Walker  1837 Confederate Major General; killed in the Battle of Atlanta 12 1856 1860 William J. Hardee  1838 Confederate Lieutenant General 13 1860 1861 John F. Reynolds  1841 Union Major General; killed in the Battle of Gettysburg 14 1861 1861 Christopher C. Augur  1843 Union Major General 15 1861 1862 Kenner Garrard  1851 Union Brigadier General 16 1862 1864 Henry B. Clitz  1845 17 1864 1864 John C. Tidball  1848 18 1864 1870 Henry M. Black  1847 19 1870 1875 Emory Upton  1861 Union Brigadier General 20 1875 1879 Thomas H. Neill  1847 Union Brigadier General 21 1879 1882 Henry M. Lazelle  1855 22 1882 1888 Henry C. Hasbrouck  1861 23 1888 1892 Hamilton S. Hawkins  — Member of the class of 1856; did not graduate 24 1892 1897 Samuel M. Mills  1865 25 1897 1901 Otto L. Hein  1870 26 1901 1905 Charles G. Treat  1882 27 1905 1909 Robert L. Howze  1888 Medal of Honor recipient 28 1909 1911 Frederick W. Sibley  1874 29 1911 1914 Fred Winchester Sladen  1890 Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (1922-1926) 30 1914 1916 Morton F. Smith  1895 31 1916 1918 Guy Vernor Henry  1898 Olympic bronze medallist 32 1918 1919 Jens Bugge  1895 33 1919 1923 Robert M. Danford  1904 34 1923 1926 Merch B. Stewart  1896 Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (1926-1928) 35 1926 1929 Campbell B. Hodges  1903 36 1929 1933 Robert C. Richardson  1904 37 1933 1936 Simon Bolivar Buckner  1908 38 1936 1937 Dennis E. McCunniff  1913 39 1937 1941 Charles W. Ryder  1915 40 1941 1942 Frederick A. Irving  1917 Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (1951-1954) 41 1942 1943 Philip E. Gallagher  1918 42 1943 1946 George B. Honnen  1920 43 1946 1948 Gerald J. Higgins  1934 44 1948 1951 Paul D. Harkins  1929 45 1951 1952 John K. Waters  1931 46 1952 1954 John H. Michaelis  1936 47 1954 1956 Edwin J. Messinger  1931 48 1956 1959 John L. Throckmorton  1935 49 1959 1961 Charles W.G. Rich  1935 50 1961 1963 Richard G. Stilwell  1938 51 1963 1965 Michael S. Davison  1939 52 1965 1967 Richard P. Scott  1941 53 1967 1969 Bernard W. Rogers  1943 54 1969 1972 Sam S. Walker  1946 55 1972 1975 Phillip R. Feir  1949 56 1975 1977 Walter F. Ulmer  1952 57 1977 1979 John C. Bard  1954 58 1979 1982 Joseph P. Franklin  1955 59 1982 1984 John H. Moellering  1959 60 1984 1987 Peter J. Boylan  1961 61 1987 1989 Fred A. Gorden  1962 62 1989 1992 David A. Bramlett  1964 63 1992 1994 Robert F. Foley  1963 Medal of Honor recipient 64 1994 1995 Freddy E. McFarren  1966 65 1995 1997 Robert J. St. Onge  1969 66 1997 1999 John P. Abizaid  1973 67 1999 2002 Eric Olson  1972 68 2002 2004 Leo A. Brooks  1979 69 2004 2006 Curtis M. Scaparrotti  1978 70 2006 2008 Robert L. Caslen  1975 Superintendent of the United States Military Academy (2013-present) 71 2008 2009 Michael S. Linnington  1980 72 2009 2011 William E. Rapp  1984 73 2011 2012 Theodore D. Martin  1983 74 2012 2014 Richard Clarke  1984 75 2014 2016 John Thomson  1986 76 2016 present Diana Holland  1990

William J. Worth Ethan A. Hitchcock Charles Ferguson Smith John F. Reynolds File:EmoryUpton.jpg Emory Upton Robert L. Howze Robert C. Richardson John K. Waters Bernard W. Rogers File:Samuel S Walker.jpg Sam Walker File:Lieutenant General Robert L. Caslen Jr-USA.jpg Robert Caslen

References

General references

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Inline citations