Daily Almanac for
Nov 11, 2009
Search White Pages
Search: Infoplease Info search tips
Search: Biographies Bio search tips
Encyclopedia

Westmoreland, William Childs

Westmoreland, William Childs, 1914–2005, U.S. general, b. Spartanburg co., S.C. He graduated from West Point in 1936 and fought with distinction in North Africa and Europe during World War II and later (1952–53) in Korea. After serving (1960–64) as superintendent of West Point, Westmoreland attained (1964) the rank of general and commanded (1964–68) U.S. military forces in Vietnam (see Vietnam War). He then assumed the position of army chief of staff, which he held until his retirement in 1972. In 1974 he was defeated in the Republican primary election for governor of South Carolina.

See his memoirs, A Soldier Reports (1976); biography by S. Zaffiri (1994).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

    • Cite
    • Print
    • Bookmark

More on William Childs Westmoreland from Infoplease:

See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies


Premium Partner Content
HighBeam Research

Related content from HighBeam Research on: William Childs Westmoreland

Additional search results provided by HighBeam Research, LLC. © Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.