William A. Worton

William Arthur Worton (January 4, 1897 – July 25, 1973) was a World War I combat veteran, a U.S. espionage chief in 1930s China, a Marine Corps major general who served in the Pacific Theater during World War II, and an interim Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department from June 1949 to 1950.

Early life

Worton was born on January 4, 1897, in Boston, Massachusetts. He first attended the Boston Latin School and subsequently Harvard University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree. Worton then attended the Boston University Law School and graduated with Bachelor of Laws degree. Worton enlisted in the Massachusetts Naval Militia, where he was commissioned second lieutenant and was subsequently transferred to the Marine Corps Reserve with the rank of first lieutenant on March 29, 1917.

He was assigned to the 79th Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment and sent overseas. Worton saw combat service in France, including Verdun and Chateau-Thierry, where he was seriously wounded and gassed on June 6, 1918 while leading his platoon. He was evacuated to the United States in September of the same year and promoted to the rank of captain.

After the war, Worton remained in the Marine Corps and served with 2nd Marine Brigade in Santo Domingo for next two years. He returned to the United States in December 1920 and was assigned to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, where he was stationed in the local Marine base. Worton also spent some time at the Marine base at the Naval Torpedo Station in Keyport, Washington.

At the beginning of December 1923, Worton was assigned to the Marine detachment within the American Legation Guard in Peking, China, and served in this capacity until May 1926, when he was transferred back to the United States and assigned to the Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. During his time at Quantico base, Worton attended the Marine Corps School and graduated from the Company Officers Course.

He was sent back to China with the 3rd Marine Brigade in May 1927 and spent there next two years. Worton returned to the United States in July 1929 and was appointed commanding officer of the Marine detachment aboard battleship USS Oklahoma.

On 8 September 1931, Worton was assigned again to the American Legation Guard in Peking, China, but his job was little but different than his previous Marine Corps duties. Now, as an undercover intelligence officer, he was assigned as "Chinese Language Student" to the Special Language Course. He spent six hours every day for three years with studying of Chinese Language. After this very difficult job, he was qualified as a Chinese language translator and interpreter. During that time, Worton was also promoted to the rank of major on May 29, 1934.

US Naval espionage service before World War II Worton (second from right) during his service as force Marine officer, Battleship Division 3, with members of his staff on USS Idaho. In 1935, having already served in China for ten years as a Marine officer, Major Worton was assigned to the Far East Section of the Office of Naval Intelligence. Given a "cover story" as "a disgruntled officer leaving the Corps to establish a business in the International Settlement in Shanghai", he returned to China once again, and began to recruit agents who agreed to travel to Japan to secretly collect information for the US Navy. One of these may have been the French Jesuit Priest and philosopher, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.

Working with closely with Chiang Kai-shek's secret police chief, Dai Li, Worton performed his assignment ably until he returned to Washington in June 1936. IIIAC was tasked with assaulting the Tokyo Plain during Operation Downfall, the planned Invasion of Japan.

When the war ended after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, IIIAC subsequently was tasked as part of the American forces designated to occupy northern China to accept the surrender of the Japanese forces in the region. As part of that mission, Worton was with an advance party to Shanghai, China. In northern China, IIIAC battled with Chinese puppet troops aligned with Japan (many of whom later switched allegiance to Chiang Kai-shek) and with Communist guerrillas and regulars. Worton was later decorated with the Legion of Merit by the Army for his service in North China.

Los Angeles Police Chief Worton was appointed the 42nd chief of the L.A.P.D. on June 30, 1949, by Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron after the resignation of Chief Clemence B. Horrall in the wake of the Brenda Allen scandal. Horrall's assistant chief, Joe Reed, also eventually resigned after Worton took office, as he too was ensnared by the police corruption scandal.

Worton was tasked by Mayor Bowron with the job of cleaning up the department. A little more than a year later, Worton resigned on August 9, 1950, and was replaced by his chief of Internal Affairs, William H. Parker, whom he had groomed for the office.

Later life

After his stint with LAPD, Worton lived in Los Angeles, Carlsbad, and La Jolla, California. He died at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Decorations

Major General Worton's ribbon bar: