Frederick Gilbreath

Frederick Gilbreath (21 February 1888 – 28 February 1969) was a general officer in the United States Army who commanded the San Francisco Port of Embarkation and the South Pacific Base Command during World War II.

Early life Frederick Gilbreath was born on 21 February 1888 on a farm near Dayton in what was then the Washington Territory. He was the youngest of thirteen children of Samuel Love Gilbreath and his wife Margaret Fanning. His parents had traversed the Oregon Trail with their families in wagon trains in 1852, and had moved to the Washington Territory after their marriage in 1859. Gilbreath grew up on the family farm. He was educated at Columbia County Grade School and Dayton High School.

After graduating from high school in 1905, Gilbreath entered Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. He was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York by Levi Ankeny, the United States Senator for the state of Washington. Gilbreath entered West Point on 15 June 1907. He became an acting first sergeant and cadet lieutenant, and played basketball, lacrosse and polo.

On 10 August 1944, he became commander of the South Pacific Base Command. He then became commander of the Army Service Command in the Philippines. This moved to Japan after the war ended.

Later life Gilbreath retired from the army with the rank of major general on 31 August 1946. He moved to Austin, Texas, where he died on 28 February 1969, and was buried with full military honors at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on 3 March.