Lorenzo D. Gasser
Lorenzo Dow Gasser (May 3, 1876 – October 29, 1955) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, United States Military Government in Cuba, Pancho Villa Expedition, World War I, and World War II, he attained the rank of major general and was a recipient of three awards of the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the French Legion of Honor (Chevalier). Gasser was best known for his command of the 31st Infantry Regiment as part of the 1932 U.S. response to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, his service as Deputy Chief of Staff of the United States Army (following George C. Marshall), and his Second World War presidency of the War Department Manpower Board.
Lorenzo D. Gasser
May 3, 1876
Lykens, Ohio, U.S.
October 29, 1955 (aged 79)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
United States
1893–1898 (National Guard)
1899–1940 (Army)
1941–1945 (Army)
O–1018[3]
Company E, 2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry
Company A, 43rd Infantry Regiment
Company I, 28th Infantry
31st Infantry Regiment
Post of Manila
16th Infantry Brigade
Fort Meade, Maryland
War Department Manpower Board
Army Distinguished Service Medal (3)
Legion of Merit
Legion of Honor (Chevalier) (France)
A native of Lykens, Ohio, Gasser was raised and educated in Tiffin, Ohio, where he worked as a glassworker and store clerk and served in the Ohio National Guard. He enlisted as a private in 1893, was promoted to sergeant, and received his commission as a captain in 1898. Gasser commanded Company E, 2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Spanish–American War, then served as a first lieutenant with the 43rd U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Philippines during the Philippine–American War. He then obtained a commission in the regular army, and served primarily with the 28th Infantry at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. From 1906 to 1909, he served with the 28th Infantry as part of the United States Military Government in Cuba. In early 1916, he took part in the Pancho Villa Expedition on the staff of the army's Southern Department headquarters in El Paso, Texas. During World War I, he served as assistant chief of staff of the 30th Division, assistant chief of staff of III Corps, and assistant chief of staff for transportation (G-4) at the American Expeditionary Forces headquarters. After the war, he served as deputy assistant chief of staff (G-4) in charge of disposing of enemy war materiel during the post-war occupation. Gasser's wartime service was recognized with award of the Army Distinguished Service Medal and French Legion of Honor (Chevalier).
After the war, Gasser served on the War Department General Staff, as executive officer of the 10th Infantry Regiment, and on the staff of the army's Chief of Infantry. In 1931 he was assigned to command the 31st Infantry Regiment and the Post of Manila. In 1932, his regiment took part in the U.S. response to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. In June 1936, Gasser was promoted to brigadier general and in September he was assigned to command the 16th Infantry Brigade. From July 1939 to May 1940, Gasser served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the United States Army, and he retired after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64. His service as Deputy Chief of Staff was recognized with a second award of the Army Distinguished Service Medal.
In 1941, Gasser was recalled to active duty for World War II and served as the War Department representative at the Office of Civilian Defense. In 1942, he was assigned as OCD's assistant director in charge of civilian protection and promoted to major general. In March 1943, he was appointed president of the War Department Manpower Board, and he served in this position until retiring again in December 1945. His wartime service was recognized with a third award of the Army Distinguished Service Medal and award of the Legion of Merit. In retirement, Gasser resided in Washington, D.C.. He died in Washington on October 29, 1955, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Early life[edit]
Gasser was born in Lykens, Ohio, on May 3, 1876, a son of Frederick Gasser and Lucinda (Rhoads) Gasser.[4][5] His father, a Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, died in 1882,[6] and Gasser and his siblings were raised by guardians in Tiffin, Ohio.[7][8] Gasser attended the public schools of Tiffin and was employed as a glassworker and a clerk in a grocery store.[5][9][10] In July 1893, Gasser enlisted in the Ohio Army National Guard's Company E, 2nd Infantry Regiment, and he advanced through the ranks to become a sergeant.[11] In April 1898 he became company commander with the rank of captain.[11]
Start of career[edit]
At the start of the Spanish–American War, most of Gasser's National Guard company volunteered for federal service, and they were organized as Company E, 2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry.[12] He led his company during mobilization and training at Camp Asa S. Bushnell near Columbus, Ohio, Camp George H. Thomas near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Camp John S. Poland near Knoxville, Tennessee.[12] The war ended in December 1898, and Gasser's company was discharged at Camp Sylvester B. Price near Macon, Georgia, in February 1899.[12]
Gasser returned to Tiffin,[9] but in August 1899 he resumed active military service when he was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the 43rd Infantry Regiment, a temporary unit raised for the Philippine–American War.[13] Before he departed Tiffin, the mayor and other civic leaders presented Gasser with a ceremonial sword and uniform rank insignia, hat and gloves at a well-attended October 5 public gathering.[14] He joined his regiment at Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont,[15] then served in the Philippines as commander of the 43rd Infantry's Company A.[16] He was promoted to captain in April 1901, and discharged in July 1901.[17]
After his discharge from the volunteers, Gasser was appointed a second lieutenant in the regular army with an effective date of February 1901, and assigned to the 21st Infantry Regiment.[17] He was promoted to first lieutenant in January 1902,[17] and served with his regiment in the Philippines from January 1902 to January 1904.[18][19]
Following his return from the Philippines, Gasser commanded Company I, 28th Infantry at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, after which he remained at Fort Snelling as a member of the regimental staff.[20][21] In September 1904, Gasser married Molly Gregory Sugrue of Tiffin.[5] Because they had carried out their courtship in secret,[22] Sugrue left Tiffin after telling friends and family that she was going to visit the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis.[23] They were first notified of the wedding by Sugrue's telegram informing them that she had traveled to San Francisco, where Gasser and she were married at the home of Archbishop Patrick William Riordan.[23] They had no children and remained married until her death in 1951.[24]
From 1906 to 1909, Gasser served with the 28th Infantry as part of the United States Military Government in Cuba.[25] He was promoted to captain in July 1911,[26] and in September 1911 he was transferred to the 10th Infantry Regiment at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana.[27] In November, he rejoined the 28th Infantry at Fort Snelling.[28]
Continued career[edit]
In February 1913, Gasser was assigned to temporary Quartermaster duty with U.S. forces in Galveston, Texas.[25] In early 1916, he took part in the Pancho Villa Expedition when he was assigned to temporary staff duty with the army's Southern Department in El Paso, Texas.[25] At the start of World War I in 1917, Gasser was assigned to duty with the Army General Staff in Washington, D.C.[29] In October 1917, he was assigned as assistant chief of staff for the 30th Division during its organization and training at Camp Sevier, South Carolina.[9] In January, Gasser returned to the War Department staff and was assigned as recorder of the Department of War's War Council, a body of senior officials responsible for directing planning and policy during the war.[29]
In March 1918, he was promoted to temporary major and temporary lieutenant colonel, both to date from August 5, 1917.[29] In June 1918, he arrived in France, where he served as assistant chief of staff for III Corps, then attended the General Staff College course in Langres.[29] In September, he was assigned as assistant chief of staff for transportation (G-4) at the American Expeditionary Forces headquarters.[30] Gasser remained in Europe after the end of the war in November 1918, and served as deputy assistant chief of staff (G-4) in charge of disposing of enemy war materiel during the post-war occupation.[30] He returned to the United States in February 1919, and his wartime service was recognized with award of the Army Distinguished Service Medal.[30] and French Legion of Honor (Chevalier).[31]
After returning to the United States, Gasser served on the War Department General Staff until July 1920, when he was assigned as a student at the Army War College.[32] After graduating in June 1921, he was assigned as secretary of the War Department General Staff.[9] In 1925, he was assigned to the 10th Infantry at Fort Thomas, Kentucky.[9] In 1927, he was assigned to staff duty in the office of the Chief of Infantry.[9] He was promoted to colonel in May 1928.[33]
The citations for Gasser's awards of the Distinguished Service Medal included:[54][65]
Service: Army Rank: Major Division: American Expeditionary Forces General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 43 (1922)
Service: Army Rank: Brigadier General Division: War Department General Staff General Orders: American Decorations, Supplement 4 (1940)
Service: Army Rank: Major General Division: War Department General Staff General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 80 (1945)