DEPARTMENT OF FRANCE HISTORY
Correspondence dated 30 September 1919 and October 1919 between Mr. Reynolds, the Managing Editor of the Chicago Tribune, and Mr. Henry D. Lindsley, Chairman of the National Executive Committee of the American Legion, was some of the first writings regarding the organization of the American Legion in France. This correspondence designated LTC. Francis E. Drake as the organizer.
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| Past Department Commanders Francis E. Drake FR01, 1920 – 1921 Cabot Ward FR01, 1921 – 1922 Dr. Edmond L. Gross FR01, 1922 Arthur W. Kipling FR01, 1922 – 1923 H.H. Hardes FR01, 1923 – 1924 Benjamin H. Connor FR01, 1924 – 1925 Hugh A. Bathe FR01, 1925 – 1926 Edwin W. Thorn FR01, 1926 – 1927 Julian M. Thorn FR01, 1927 – 1928 Charles Hicks FR01, 1928 – 1929 A.B. Cudebec FR01, 1929 – 1930 Steven S. Szlapka FR01, 1930 – 1931 Sedley Peck FR01, 1931 – 1932 James V. Sparks FR01, 1932 – 1933 Henry W. Dunning FR01, 1933 – 1934 James McCann FR01, 1934 – 1935 Harold L. Smith, 1935 – 1936 James V. Spark FR01, 1936 – 1937 Elbert L. Dodds FR01, 1937 – 1938 Bernard A. Ragher FR01, 1938 – 1939 George A. Aubrey FR01, 1939 – 1940 Name not Found FR01, 1940 – 1941 Edward A. Thureson FR01, 1941 – 1942 1942 - 1946 WWII John R. Wood FR01, 1946 – 1947 Harold L. Smith FR01, 1947 – 1948 Ray McDaniel FR01, 1948 – 1949 Gething C. Miller FR01, 1949 – 1950 Charles D. Wilkes FR01, 1950 – 1951 Vaghn G. Callen FR01, 1951 – 1952 Clarence L. Glover FR01, 1952 – 1953 Lloyd H. Cornwall FR01, 1953 – 1954 Leo E. Jolin FR01, 1954 – 1955 Melvin C. Smith FR01, 1955 – 1956 Carl J. Batter Jr. FR01, 1956 – 1957 Martin G. Bencze FR01, 1957 – 1958 Russell M. Porter FR01, 1958 – 1959 Joseph McDermott FR01, 1959 – 1960 Gordon M. Jochmann GR01, 1960 – 1961 Gordon S. Long Verdon Post 6, 1961 – 1962 Frederick J. Deyso GR08, 1962 – 1963 Clifford Inman GR06, 1963 – 1964 Walter Lindquist FR01, 1964 – 1965 Helmut Isenberg FR01, 1965 – 1966 Howard C. Dulin FR01, 1966 – 1967 Helmut Isenberg FR01, 1967 – 1968 George F. Gety Jr GR07, 1968 – 1969 Carl J. Sztuder FR01, 1969 – 1970 Jerome O. Guilds GR100, 1970 – 1972 Helmut Spangenthal GR03, 1972 – 1974 John Holmes GR03, 1974 – 1976 Spurgen Boyd FR01, 1976 – 1977 William R. (Bo) Williamson GR06, 1977 – 1978 Merwyn (Mike) Beavers GR02, 1978 – 1980 Jack D. Legg GR05, 1980 – 1982 Robert Winkler GR20, 1982 – 1985 Charles Rallis GR20, 1985 – 1987 Michael R. Verville GR03, 1987 – 1988 Frank Hoyle GR16, 1988 – 1989 Edward Drayton FR01, 1989 – 1990 Douglas Haggan GR05, 1990 – 1992 Wally Bolton GR01, 1992 – 1993 Walt Landi FR01, 1993 – 1994 Gorley Stokes GR05, 1994 – 1995 William E. Marshall GR42, 1995 – 1998 Michael T. Umland GR06, 1998 – 2000 Nola L. Maloney GR03, 2000 – 2003 John Miller GR1982, 2003 – 2005 Liam Kane IR63, 2005 – 2007 Joe D. Brown GR42, 2007 – 2009 Robert Gray GR01, 2009 – Present | |
Past National Executive Committeeman 1920 – 1971 No records foundJames Zulick FR01, 1971 – 1974 Helmut Spangenthal GR03, 1974 – 1982 William Lombrado GR01, 1982 – 1988 Merwyn (Mike) Beavers GR02, 1988 – 1992 Douglas Haggan GR05, 1992 – 1994 Merwyn (Mike) Beavers GR02, 1994 – 2004 William (Bill) Marshall GR42, 2004 - Present | |
Past Department Adjutants 1920 – 1970 No records on hand Don Blondin, FR01, 1971 – 1972 Dan Campbell, FR01, 1972 – 1976 Edward Drayton FR01, 1976 – 1978 Yott Whitman FR01, 1978 – 1979 Kenneth Johnson FR01, 1979 – 1984 Ralph Browne GR01, 1984 – 1986 Douglas Haggan GR05, 1986 – 1987 Michael Verville GR03, 1987 – 1988 Wayne Costa GR16, 1988 – 1989 Gorley Stokes GR05, 1990 – 1993 Robert Louden GR05, 1994 – 1996 Timothy Oneill GR07, 1997 – 1998 William R. West GR79, 1998 – April 2003 Frank Hanchak GR42, April 2003 – June 2003 Nola Maloney GR03, June 2003 – 2004 Max Rice GR79, 2005 – 2007 James Settle GR42, 2007 – Sept 2009 John D. Fleming GR01, Sept 2009 – Present | |
