Unpublished Antique Historic Photo Commandant Marines MajGen John Lejeune USMC

Description

Offered is a very rare and unpublished image of MajGen John A. Lejeune USMC as Commandant of the Marine Corps. Picture was taken June 1921 during a flag presentation ceremony at Marine Barracks, Washington D.C. (8th and I). You can clearly see the service uniforms, EGA's, classic bell crown hats on members of the United States Marine Band "The President's Own",  trumpeters, Army and Navy guests, etc. Measures: 8" x 10."
History:
John Archer Lejeune
- January 10, 1867 – November 20, 1942) was a
United States Marine Corps
lieutenant general
and the 13th
Commandant of the Marine Corps
. Lejeune served for nearly 40 years in the military, and commanded the U.S. Army's
2nd Division
during
World War I
. After his retirement from the Marine Corps he became superintendent of the
Virginia Military Institute
.
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
in North Carolina was named in his honor during World War II. Lejeune is often referred to in the present day as being the "greatest of all
Leathernecks
" and the "Marine's Marine."
Biography
Lejeune was born on January 10, 1867, at the Old Hickory Plantation near
Lacour
, Louisiana, in
Pointe Coupee Parish
.
He was the son of
Confederate States Army
Captain Ovide Lejeune.
LeJeune was
Cajun
with his great grandfather Blaise Basil LeJeune born in
Port Royal
,
Acadia
, and likely forced to flee to Louisiana around the 1760s. He attended the
preparatory program
at
Louisiana State University
in
Baton Rouge
from September 1881 to April 1884, leaving to prepare for the entrance exam for the
U.S. Naval Academy
. Subsequently, he secured an appointment as a
midshipman
at the
United States Naval Academy
,
from which he graduated in 1888, ranking second academically in his class of thirty-two midshipmen.
At the completion of a two-year cruise as a midshipman, he was appointed to Naval Engineering, but was desperate to join the Marine Corps. Exhausting all conventional channels, he contacted his senator and eventually the Secretary of the Navy arranged his appointment to the Marine Corps. He was commissioned a
second lieutenant
in the
Marine Corps
on July 25, 1890.
His immediate family was very involved with the Marine Corps particularly during World War II in the fight against the Axis powers of Nazi Germany and Japan. His daughter, Eugenia Lejeune, and his grandson, James Blair Glennon Jr., both served with the Corps during the war and after.
His granddaughter, Jeanne
Glennon
Hull, served in the Navy's
WAVES
and was married to Lt. Col.
William Frederick Harris
in 1946.
U.S. Marine Corps career
1890s
After receiving his Marine Corps commission, Lejeune was assigned to
Marine Barracks, New York
, on March 31, 1890, for Marine Corps "indoctrination and instruction".
Afterwards, he reported for duty to the Marine Barracks,
Norfolk, Virginia
, on November 3, 1890. While in Norfolk, he met Ellie Harrison Murdaugh; they were engaged just before he began his first tour of sea duty.
From October 1, 1891, to July 28, 1893, Lejeune served on board
USS
Bennington
and was promoted to
first lieutenant
on February 26, 1892. On August 28, 1893, he was assigned to the Norfolk Marine Barracks, where he served until July 31, 1897. While stationed in Norfolk this second time, he married Miss Murdaugh on October 23, 1895.
On August 2, 1897, Lejeune assumed command of the Marine Guard of the
USS
Cincinnati
, where he served throughout the
Spanish–American War
. On the morning of August 9, 1898, he commanded the approximately 30-man landing party at Cape San Juan, Puerto Rico that covered the withdrawal of 35 U.S. Navy
bluejackets
from
USS
Amphitrite
and 60 civilian refugees from the town of
Fajardo
that had been quartered at the
Cape San Juan Light
that the sailors had defended against a force of approximately 200 Spanish Army troops and civil guard the previous night during the
Battle of Fajardo
. He was reassigned from
Cincinnati
on February 17, 1899, and on February 18, 1899, joined the
USS
Massachusetts
to command the Marine Guard on board. He was promoted to
captain
on March 3, 1899, and left his position on the
Massachusetts
on May 10, 1900.
1900–1916
From July 3, 1900, to November 12, 1900, Captain Lejeune was assigned to recruiting duty at
Boston, Massachusetts
. On November 22, 1900, he reported at the Marine Barracks,
Pensacola, Florida
, to command a Marine detachment there. From January 12 to January 21, 1903, Captain Lejeune was on duty at the Norfolk Barracks, he was en route to duty at New York City on January 26, 1903. He was promoted to
major
on March 3, 1903, and was on duty assigned
to Headquarters Marine Corps
in Washington, D.C., from May 15, 1903, to August 8, 1903.
On August 8, 1903, Major Lejeune was assigned to
USS
Panther
to command the Marine Battalion on board that vessel, joining the ships company August 16, 1903. On October 23, 1903, the battalion, with Lejeune in command, was transferred to
USS
Dixie
. From December 16 to December 21, 1904, Major Lejeune was on shore duty on the
Isthmus of Panama
in command of this battalion, leaving there on the latter date on board
USS
Yankee
.
From January 27, 1905, to May 20, 1906, Lejeune served at the
Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.
He then returned to
Panama
in command of a battalion of Marines from May 29 to July 6, 1906, the battalion being transported both ways on board
USS
Columbia
, returning to Washington Marine Barracks. On March 29, 1907, Major Lejeune was detached from command of the Washington Barracks and ordered to the
Philippines
. His family—his wife and three daughters—accompanied him on this overseas duty.
Arriving in the Philippines on May 2, 1907, Lejeune assumed command of the Marine Barracks and Naval Prison,
Navy Yard
,
Cavite
, on May 6, 1907. He assumed command of the First Brigade of Marines on June 15, 1908, and was promoted to
lieutenant colonel
on May 13, 1909. He was detached on June 8, 1909, and ordered to return to the United States. He then attended the
U.S. Army War College
, graduating in 1910.
The Marine Corps Association was founded on April 25, 1911, at
Guantanamo Bay
by the officers of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, under command of Colonel
Littleton W. T. Waller
. Although the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade disbanded shortly after, the MCA remained active. Two years later, again at Guantanamo Bay, officers of the 2d Provisional Marine Brigade, commanded by Colonel Lincoln Karmany, formally organized the Marine Corps Association. Colonel Karmany appointed then-Lt. Colonel John A. Lejeune as its first head of the executive board.
After returning to the United States, Lejeune was again called upon for expeditionary duty. He sailed from
Philadelphia
, February 20, 1913, as second in command of the First Regiment, Second Provisional Brigade Marines, and disembarked February 27, 1913, at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Then-Lt. Colonel Lejeune became the first head of the
Marine Corps Association
with the goal of professional advancement among Marines. He returned to Philadelphia on board USS
Prairie
on May 2, 1913.Lieutenant Colonel Lejeune embarked on board
USS
Ohio
on May 26, 1912, with the Second Regiment, First Provisional Brigade Marines, for
Cuba
. He disembarked at
Guantanamo Bay
, Cuba, on June 8, 1912, and was in command of the
District of Santiago
from June 9 to July 14, 1912. On July 15, 1912, Lejeune embarked on board
USS
Prairie
and sailed for
Colón, Panama
. July 18–29, 1912, was spent at Camp Elliott,
Panama
.
On November 27, 1913, Lejeune sailed from New York with the 2nd Advanced Base Regiment, his ultimate destination
Veracruz
,
Mexico
, but returned to the United States to receive his promotion to
colonel
on February 25, 1914.
Col. Lejeune participated in the
Tampico Affair
.
Colonel Lejeune and his unit eventually landed in Mexico on April 22, 1914, and participated in the
United States occupation of Veracruz
. He returned home in December 1914, this time to report to
Marine Corps Headquarters
in Washington, D.C., to become the
Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps
to Major General
George Barnett
,
Commandant of the Marine Corps
. He was promoted to
brigadier general
on August 29, 1916.
World War I
Upon reporting to
General
John Joseph "Blackjack" Pershing
,
Commander-in-chief
(CinC) of the
American Expeditionary Force
(AEF) on the
Western Front
, he was assigned to command a brigade of the
32nd Division
but later assumed command of the 4th Marine Brigade, part of the
2nd Division
, immediately following the attack of the division in the
Battle of Soissons
. On July 28, 1918, Major General Lejeune assumed command of the 2nd Division and remained in that capacity until August 1919, when the division was demobilized 9 months after the end of the war. He was the second Marine officer to hold an
Army
divisional command (Marine
Brigadier General
Charles A. Doyen
had previously commanded the division for two weeks), and following the
Armistice with Germany
in November 1918 he led his division in the march into Germany.With the April 1917
American entry into World War I
, Lejeune assumed command of the newly constructed Marine Barracks,
Quantico, Virginia
; however, his overseas service was inevitable, and in June 1918, he arrived at
Brest, France
. He was promoted to
major general
on July 1, 1918.
Lejeune commanded the US Army 2nd Division during the victorious action at the
battle of St Mihiel
.
Lejeune emphasized tightly coordinated action that emphasized extensive rehearsal and disciplined artillery gunnery. This discipline enabled infantry elements to follow closely behind barrages that would otherwise be far too risky. This "leaning on the artillery" meant that the enemy faced direct assault while still reverting from the shock of a bombardment.
Lejeune stated his philosophy as "The key to combat effectiveness is unity – an esprit that characterizes itself in complete, irrevocable, mutual trust. Now my infantry trusts my artillery and engineers, and my artillery and engineers know this so they will go through hell itself before they let down the infantry. My infantry believe that with such support they are invincible-and they are."
Marshal
Pétain
praised Lejeune as "a military genius who could and did do what the other commander said couldn't be done."
During the war, he was recognized by the
French government
as a strategist and leader, as evidenced by the
Legion of Honor
, and the
Croix de guerre
bestowed upon him by France. The C-in-C of the AEF, General Pershing, awarded Lejeune the U.S. Army's
Distinguished Service Medal
. The
U.S. Navy
's
Distinguished Service Medal
was conferred upon him when he returned to the United States following the occupation of Germany.
Commandant of the Marine Corps
In October 1919, he again was appointed commanding general,
Marine Barracks, Quantico, Virginia
.
Lejeune was appointed as major general and
Commandant of the Marine Corps
on July 1, 1920. Subsequent to that time, he left his headquarters at Washington several times for tours of inspection in
Haiti
,
Santo Domingo
, Cuba,
Puerto Rico
, to the West Coast and elsewhere. During his service as Major General Commandant, Lejeune presided over what is known as the first enlightenment of the Marine Corps. Lejeune directed intelligence gathering operations in the Pacific in the early 1920s, and drove changes in the organization, training, education, and equipping of Marines, thus transforming them from 19th century colonial naval infantry into a combined arms amphibious force needed to prevail in World War II. Upon the expiration of his second term as commandant, Lejeune indicated his desire not to retire from the Marine Corps, but was relieved as commandant in March 1929.
United States Marine Corps League founder
The
Marine Corps League
is the only Congressionally chartered United States Marine Corps-related veterans organization in the United States. Its Congressional Charter was approved by the 75th U.S. Congress and signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 4, 1937. The organization credits its founding – in 1923 – to legendary Marine Corps Commandant John A. Lejeune.
Retirement, VMI, and death
On November 10, 1929, Lejeune retired from the Marine Corps after thirty-nine years of service in order to accept the position of superintendent of the
Virginia Military Institute
(VMI) in Lexington, Virginia. Lejeune served as the institute's 5th superintendent for eight years until October 1937, when he retired for the second and final time.
In 1930 Lejeune was elected as an honorary member of the Virginia
Society of the Cincinnati
.
In September 1939, when
Hitler
's legions invaded Poland, he wrote to
Thomas Holcomb
, then the current commandant of the Marine Corps, and volunteered to serve once more given his alarm over the crisis in Europe. The offer was gently declined given his age.
In February 1942, he was advanced to the rank of
lieutenant general
on the Marine Corps retired list.
Lejeune died on November 20, 1942, in the
Union Memorial Hospital
,
Baltimore, Maryland
, and was interred in the
Arlington National Cemetery
with
full military honors
.
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