born Dec. 31, 1853, Lewisburg, Pa., U.S.
died Nov. 9, 1930, Washington, D.C.
U.S. general.
After attending West Point (1875), he served in various military assignments, including that of instructor at West Point and military attaché at the U.S. legation in Madrid. In the Spanish-American War, he was chief of staff under Gen. James H. Wilson in Puerto Rico; he later served in the Philippines (190509). As army chief of staff in 1917, he made the U.S. Army battle-ready for World War I and resisted attempts to divide the force among the various Allied commands. He was a delegate to the Paris Peace Conference and an ardent supporter of U.S. participation in the League of Nations .