Commandants of the Marine Corps

Name

Birth Date

Death Date

Place of Birth

Period Served as CMC

Initial Rank as CMC

Final Rank

1. Samuel NICHOLAS(1)

B. ca. 1744

D. 27 Aug 1790

Pennsylvania

28 Nov 1775‑1781

Captain

Major

2. William Ward BURROWS(2)

B. 16 Jan 1758

D. 6 Mar 1804

South Carolina

12 Jul 1798‑6 Mar 1804

Major

Lieutenant Colonel

3. Franklin WHARTON(3)

B. 23 Jul 1767

D. 1 Sep 1818

Pennsylvania

7 Mar 1804‑1 Sep 1818

Lieutenant Colonel

4. Anthony GALE

B. 17 Sep 1782

D. 1843

Ireland

3 Mar 1819‑16 Oct 1820

Lieutenant Colonel

5. Archibald HENDERSON(4)

B. 21 Jan 1783

D. 6 Jan 1859

Virginia

17 Oct 1820‑6 Jan 1859

Lieutenant Colonel

Colonel

6. John HARRIS(5)

B. 20 May 1790

D. 2 May 1864

Pennsylvania

7 Jan 1859‑12 May 1864

Colonel

7. Jacob ZEILIN(6)

B. 16 Jul 1806

D. 18 Nov 1880

Pennsylvania

10 Jun 1864‑31 Oct 1876

Colonel

Brigadier General

8. Charles MCCAWLEY

B. 29 Jan 1827

D. 13 Oct 1891

Pennsylvania

1 Nov 1876‑29 Jan 1891

Colonel

9. Charles HEYWOOD(7)

B. 3 Oct 1839

D. 26 Feb 1915

Maine

30 Jan 1891‑2 Oct 1903

Colonel

Major General

10. George ELLIOTT(8)

B. 30 Nov 1846

D. 4 Nov 1931

Alabama

3 Oct 1903‑30 Nov 1910

Brigadier General

Major General

11. William BIDDLE(9)

B. 17 Dec 1853

D. 25 Feb 1923

Pennsylvania

3 Feb 1911‑24 Feb 1914

Major General

12. George BARNETT*

B. 9 Dec 1859

D. 27 Apr 1930

Wisconsin

25 Feb 1914‑30 Jun 1920

Major General

13. John A. LEJEUNE*(10)

B. 10 Jan 1867

D. 20 Nov 1942

Louisiana

1 Jul 1920‑4 Mar 1929

Major General

14. Wendell NEVILLE*#

B. 12 May 1870

D. 8 Jul 1930

Virginia

5 Mar 1929‑8 Jul 1930

Major General

15. Ben H. FULLER*

B. 27 Feb 1870

D. 8 Jun 1937

Michigan

9 Jul 1930‑28 Feb 1934

Major General

16. John H. RUSSELL*

B. 14 Nov 1872

D. 6 Mar 1947

California

1 Mar 1934‑30 Nov 1936

Major General

17. Thomas HOLCOMB(11)

B. 5 Aug 1879

D. 24 May 1965

Delaware

1 Dec 1936‑31 Dec 1943

Major General

Lieutenant General

18. Alexander A. VANDEGRIFT(12)#

B. 13 Mar 1887

D. 8 May 1973

Virginia

1 Jan 1944‑31 Dec 1947

Lieutenant General

General

19. Clifton B. CATES

31 Aug 1893

D. 4 Jun 1970

Tennesee

1 Jan 1948‑31 Dec 1951

General

20. Lemuel C. SHEPHERD, Jr.

B. 10 Feb 1896

D. 6 Aug 1990

Virginia

1 Jan 1952‑31 Dec 1955

General

21. Randolph McCall PATE(13)

B. 11 Feb 1898

D. 31 Jul 1961

South Carolina

1 Jan 1956‑31 Dec 1959

General

22. David M. SHOUP(14)#

B. 30 Dec 1904

D. 13 Jan 1983

Indiana

1 Jan 1960‑ 31 Dec 1963

General

23. Wallace M. GREENE, JR.*

B. 27 Dec 1907

Vermont

1 Jan 1964‑31 Dec 1967

General

24. Leonard F. CHAPMAN, Jr.

B. 3 Nov 1913

Florida

1 Jan 1968‑31 Dec 1971

General

25. Robert E. CUSHMAN, Jr.*

B. 24 Dec 1914

D. 2 Jan 1985

Minnesota

1 Jan 1972‑30 Jun 1975

General

26. Louis H. WILSON#

B. 11 Feb 1920

Michigan

1 Jul 1975‑30 Jun 1979

General

27. Robert H. BARROW

B. 5 Feb 1922

Louisiana

1 Jul 1979‑30 Jun 1983

General

28. Paul X. KELLEY

B. 11 Nov 1928

Massachusetts

1 Jul 1983‑30 Jun 1987

General

29. Alfred M. GRAY, Jr.

B. 22 Jun 1928

New Jersey

1 Jul 1987‑30 Jun 1991

General

30. Carl E. MUNDY, JR.

B. 16 Jul 1935

Georgia

1 Jul 1991‑30 Jun 1995

General

31. Charles C. KRULAK*

B. 4 Mar 1942

Virginia

1 Jul 1995‑

General

32. James L. JONES

July 1, 1999-

General

*Graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.

#Medal of Honor recipient.

(1) The resolution of the Continental Congress on 10 November 1775 provided for a colonel to command two battalions of Marines authorized, but the highest rank received by any Marine during the Revolution was that of major. Samuel Nicholas was appointed, " Captain of Marines," on 28 November 1775, and promoted to major on 25 June 1776. Because of his senior status among other Marine officers of the Revolution, he is numbered as the first Commandant. The year 1781 saw Major Nicholas' return to private life. By the summer of 1781 there were only three Marine captains and three lieutenants on active duty, and overall organization had ceased to exist.

(2) When Burrows was appointed under authority of the Act of 11 July 1798 (1 Stat.72) he was not known technically as "Major Commandant," It was not until 1 May 1800, when Burrows was promoted to, " Lieutenant Colonel Commandant," under the Act of 22 April 1800 (2 Stat. 29), that there was an alliance of rank and position for the head of the Marine Corps.

(3) Between Wharton's death and Gale's appointment, Brevet Major Samuel Miller, the Adjutant and Inspector and Brevet Major Archibald Henderson served as Acting Commandants, 2‑15 September 1818 and 16 September 1818‑2 March 1819, respectively.

(4) By authority of the Act of 30 June 1834 (4 Stat. 32) the rank of Commandant was raised to colonel. On 4 March 1843, Henderson was commissioned brigadier general by brevet for his services during the Florida Indian Wars. Subsequently, he was commonly referred to as Brevet Brigadier General Henderson. This was a personal rank in the nature of a decoration for gallantry. It had nothing to do with the office of the Commandant; less, in fact, the personal rank held by Heywood. In this connection, it should be noted that, in official correspondence, Henderson usually signed himself, "Col. Commdt."

(5) Between the death of Harris and the appointment of Zeilin, Major Augustus S. Nicholson, the Adjutant and Inspector, served as Acting Commandant 13 May ‑ 9 June 1864.

(6) The Act of March 1867 (14 Stat. 174) provided that, "the commandant of the marine corps shall have the rank and pay of a brigadier general of the army." This law was repealed by the Act of 6 June 1874 (18 Stat. 216) when the office of the Commandant was returned to the rank of colonel when and if a vacancy occurred. Thus, Zeilin retained his rank of brigadier general but his successor was slated to be a colonel.

(7) By the Act of 3 March 1899 (30 Stat. 413) the post of Commandant was again raised to that of brigadier general; Heywood was promoted as of that date. The Act of 1 July 1902 (32 Stat. 1368) accorded the Commandant the rank, pay, and allowances of a major general in the army. This act, however, specifically provided that should a vacancy occur in the office, "on the expiration of the service of the present incumbent, by retirement or otherwise, the commandant of the Marine Corps shall thereafter have the rank, pay, and allowances of a brigadier‑general." Thus, Heywood's final rank must be considered to have been personal in character.

(8) The Act of 13 May 1908 (35 Stat. 166) provided for the post of', "major‑general commandant, in lieu of the present brigadier‑general commandant." Accordingly, on May 1908, Elliott was promoted to major general.

(9) From the time of Major General Elliott's retirement until his own appointment, Biddle served as Acting Commandant in his personal rank of colonel, 1 December 1910‑2 February 1911. During Biddle's tenure the term of Commandant was fixed for the first time‑four years, "unless sooner relieved."‑by the Act of 19 December 1913 (38 Stat. 3).

(10) Lejeune was the first Commandant reappointed after the expiration of a fixed term.

(11) The Act of 20 January 1942 (56 Stat. 10) provided the rank of Lieutenant general for the Commandant, and Holcomb was accordingly promoted to rank from that date. The same act provided that the office henceforth should be known as, "Commandant of the Marine Corps." Holcomb was advanced to general on the retired list effective 1 January 1944‑‑the first Marine ever to hold that rank.

(12) The Act of 21 March 1945 (59 Stat.29) permitted the President to appoint the Commandant to the rank of general. When Vandegrift was promoted on 4 April 1945, to rank from 21 March of that year, he became the first Marine to serve in the rank of general. The Act of 21 March 1945 was restricted in effect to, "six months after the termination of the war in which the United States is now engaged..." Hostilities had not yet been officially terminated when, by the Act of 7 August 1947 (61 Stat. 880), the rank of Commandant was permanently fixed as general.