Donald C. Cubbison

Donald C. Cubbison (8 May 1882 – 25 December 1968) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of World War I and World War II, he attained the rank of major general. Cubbison's commands included the 1st Infantry Division, and his awards included the Army Distinguished Service Medal and Legion of Merit.

A native of Harrisville, Pennsylvania, Cubbison was raised and educated in Harrisville, then in Kansas City, Kansas, where he lived with an older brother following the death of their father. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1904, and was commissioned in the Field Artillery. Assignments early in his career included postings to the Philippines, then in Texas during the Pancho Villa Expedition. During World War I, he was director of the II Corps Artillery School, chief of staff for I Corps Artillery, and head of the Field Artillery section in the Office of the Chief of Artillery for the American Expeditionary Forces.

After his wartime service, Cubbison served as West Point's treasurer and as professor of military science at Stanford University. In the 1930s, he commanded the 1st Field Artillery Regiment and 6th and 11th Infantry Brigades, and was commandant of the Field Artillery School. During World War II, Cubbison commanded the 1st Infantry Division, then the Field Artillery Replacement Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Cubbison retired in 1946 and resided in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He died in Carmel on 25 December 1968. Cubbison was buried at El Carmelo Cemetery in Pacific Grove, California.

Early life

Donald Cameron Cubbison was born in Harrisville, Pennsylvania on 8 May 1882, a son of James N. Cubbison and Mary (Kerr) Cubbison. He was raised and educated in Harrisville, then in Kansas City, Kansas, where he lived with an older brother following the death of their father. He graduated from Wyandotte High School, then received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point from US Representative Justin De Witt Bowersock.

Cubbison attended West Point from 1900 to 1904, and graduated ranked 58th of 124. Several of his classmates also became general officers during the First and Second World Wars, including George R. Allin, Jay Leland Benedict, William Bryden, Robert M. Danford, Pelham D. Glassford, Edmund L. Gruber, Francis Honeycutt, Lesley J. McNair, Henry Conger Pratt, Robert C. Richardson, Jr., Thomas M. Robins, Joseph Stilwell, George Veazey Strong, Innis P. Swift, and Charles F. Thompson. Among his classmates who did not attain general's rank was Arthur H. Wilson, a recipient of the Medal of Honor. They were married until his death and were the parents of three children, Donald Jr., Rose, and Gordon. From June 1905 to June 1907, he served at Fort Snelling, Minnesota with the 4th Battery of Field Artillery, which was later designated Battery A, 1st Field Artillery Regiment. From September 1910 to April 1914, he was assigned to Coast Artillery duty at Fort Slocum, New York.

Cubbison remained on the AEF staff after the Armistice of November 11, 1918 ended the war, and he remained in Europe during the post-war Occupation of the Rhineland. From September 1920 to June 1921, he was an instructor and faculty member at the Fort Leavenworth, Kansas School of the Line. In August 1935, Cubbison was promoted to colonel, and in September he was assigned to command the 1st Field Artillery Regiment at Fort Sill. During World War II he commanded the 1st Infantry Division from January 1941 to May 1942, and he was promoted to major general.

Dates of rank Cubbison's dates of rank were:

Second Lieutenant, 15 June 1904 First Lieutenant, 25 January 1907 Captain, 1 July 1916 Lieutenant Colonel (National Army), 5 August 1917 Colonel (National Army), 18 September 1918 Major, 4 September 1919 Major, 27 March 1920 Lieutenant Colonel, 26 June 1928 Colonel, 1 August 1935 Brigadier General, 1 August 1938 Major General (Army of the United States), 30 January 1941 Major General (Retired), 28 February 1946