Campbell King


Campbell King was an American infantry officer who served with the U.S. Army. He was the Commandant at Fort Benning and is known for modernizing its training programs and infrastructure.

Early years

Born to Alexander King and Mary Lee Evans King on 30 August 1871, Campbell King grew up in Flat Rock, North Carolina. He attended the College of Charleston, but did not graduate as he enlisted in the cavalry as a private in 1897.

Military career

After being promoted to Corporal, King was commissioned as an infantry officer in 1898. Some time after his commission, King graduated with distinction from the Infantry and Cavalry School at Fort Leavenworth in 1905, and the Army Staff College the following year in 1906. In 1911, King graduated from the Army War College.
During this time, King was stationed in American territories and on the Mexican border, but he also saw action in China during the Boxer Rebellion.

First World War

Following the U.S. entry into World War I, King was assigned to the First Infantry Division and was appointed the division's Chief of Staff in December 1917. On 1 October 1918, King was promoted to Brigadier General and served as the Chief of Staff of the 7th Army Corps and later the 3rd Army Corps.
As Chief of Staff of the First Infantry Division, King played a key role coordinating the Division's various units in Cantigny and Saint Mihiel.
King emerged from the war decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal, the Croix de Guerre, the Legion of Honor and the Order of the Crown. He was the second American to be awarded the French Croix de Guerre.

Between the wars

In 1920, King graduated from the General Staff College and received an honorary M.A. from Harvard. In July 1924, King was permanently promoted to Brigadier General, and in 1925 he was appointed Assistant Chief of Staff, position he would hold until 1929. In May of 1929, King took command of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Under his command, and with then-Lieutenant-Colonel George Marshal as Assistant Commandant, King ushered in "halcyon days" by modernizing Fort Benning's training programs and infrastructure. He was promoted to Major General in 1932 and retired the following year.

Personal life and death

Campbell King married Harriet Laurens King in 1907. Together they had two children, Duncan and Barbara. After his retirement in 1933, Campbell returned to his hometown of Flat Rock, North Carolina, where he passed away on 16 October 1953.