James B. Cress

James Bell Cress (28 December 1891 – 27 July 1967) was an engineer and United States Army Reserve major general. During World War II, he supervised the restoration of ports, canals, railroads and bridges sabotaged by the retreating German forces after the Allied Invasion of Normandy. Cress later served as the executive in charge of the Army Reserve and the Army ROTC Program.

Early life and education Cress was born in Galesburg, Illinois, the son of Army officer and 1884 United States Military Academy graduate George O. Cress. After studying engineering at the University of Michigan for three years, he entered the Military Academy at West Point in March 1910. Cress became First Captain, graduated 2nd in the Class of June 1914 and was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers. He subsequently graduated from the Army Engineer School in December 1916.

Career After commissioning, Cress served with Company F, 2nd Battalion of Engineers at Vancouver Barracks in Washington state, Company F, 1st Engineers at Fort Sam Houston in Texas and the 18th Engineer Railway Regiment in California. In May 1917, Cress was promoted to captain and sent to Camp Lewis in Washington state. In August 1917, he received a temporary promotion to major and served in France until August 1918.

After accepting a position with the Dodge Brothers Company, Cress was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel in the Engineer Section, Officers Reserve Corps in May 1920. He was subsequently promoted to colonel in June 1923. Cress later moved from Birmingham, Michigan to the San Francisco area, where he served as district director for the U.S. Civil Service Commission and then as Regional Director for the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board. In March 1941, he was recalled to active duty in the Army Corps of Engineers.

Personal Cress married Eleanor Mary Chittenden (4 January 1892 – 29 June 1970), the daughter of his father's West Point classmate Hiram M. Chittenden, on 14 September 1916. They had two daughters.

After his 1951 retirement, Cress and his wife moved to Palo Alto, California. He died at the Palo Alto-Stanford Hospital.