Charles T. Menoher
Major General Charles Thomas Menoher was a U.S. Army general, first Chief of the United States Army Air Service from 1918 to 1921, and commanded the U.S. Army Hawaiian Department from 1924 to 1925.
Early life
The son of a Civil War veteran, Menoher was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1862 and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1886 with a commission as an artillery officer.Military career
Menoher served in Cuba and the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. He later graduated from the Army War College and was selected for the original General Staff Corps, where he served from 1903 to 1907. He was commander of the 5th Field Artillery Regiment from 1916 to 1917.After being promoted to brigadier general in August 1917, Menoher commanded the Rainbow Division in France during World War I, participating in the Champagne-Marne offensive and in the successful Allied offensives of Saint Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne. Menoher was succeeded by General Douglas MacArthur in this position. At war's end, Menoher commanded the VI Corps and received the Distinguished Service Medal, along with foreign awards from France, Belgium, and Italy.
Following World War I, Menoher became first Director and then Chief of Air Service, where he began a famous conflict with his Assistant Chief, Brigadier General Billy Mitchell. He was promoted to major general in March 1921. Requesting an assignment with troops, Menoher then took command of the Hawaiian Division in 1922 before taking over the entire Hawaiian Department. After this, he commanded the IX Corps Area in San Francisco until his mandatory retirement on March 20, 1926.
Personal life
He married Nannie Pearson. They had four sons: Charles, Pearson, Darrow, and William. His three youngest sons all graduated from West Point, and served in the Army during World War II. Pearson, a classmate of Dwight D. Eisenhower, reached the rank of Major General during the Korean War.Menoher later married Elizabeth Painter.
Death and legacy
Menoher died on August 11, 1930. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.Menoher Boulevard, a major road in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is named after him.
Dates of rank
| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date |
| - | Cadet | United States Military Academy | 1 July 1882 |
| None in 1886 | Second Lieutenant | Regular Army | 1 July 1886 |
| First Lieutenant | Regular Army | 23 December 1892 | |
| Captain | Regular Army | 2 February 1901 | |
| Major | Regular Army | 25 January 1907 | |
| Lieutenant Colonel | Regular Army | 26 May 1911 | |
| Colonel | Regular Army | 1 July 1916 | |
| Brigadier General | National Army | 5 August 1917 | |
| Major General | National Army | 28 November 1917 | |
| Brigadier General | Regular Army | 7 November 1918 | |
| Major General | Temporary | 3 July 1920 | |
| Major General | Regular Army | 8 March 1921 | |
| Major General | Retired List | 20 March 1926 |