William R. Schmidt

William Richard Schmidt (October 14, 1889 – July 18, 1966) was a decorated United States Army officer who spent most of World War II as commanding the 76th Infantry Division.

Early life and military career

William Richard Schmidt was born on October 14, 1889, the son of Joseph Karl and his wife Anna (née Haman). Seeking a military career, he entered the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York, in 1909. He graduated, 54 in a class of 93, four years later on June 12, 1913, which led to him being commissioned as an officer, with the rank of second lieutenant, into the Infantry Branch of the United States Army on the same date.

Between 1913 and 1917, Schmidt served on the Mexico–United States border during the Pancho Villa Expedition. During this campaign, he was promoted to first lieutenant. Schmidt did not see combat in France on the Western Front during World War I and instead performed stateside duty at Schofield Barracks in Pearl Harbor, at Presidio of San Francisco and at Camp Fremont, California.

Between the wars In 1921, now with the rank of major, Schmidt was transferred back to the USMA, where he was an instructor in the department of chemistry, mineralogy and geology. He stayed in this position until 1923, when he was transferred back to Hawaii.

Postwar The grave of Major General William R. Schmidt at Arlington National Cemetery

In August 1945, Major General Schmidt assumed command of the 3rd Infantry Division, as a part of the occupational forces in Germany. Schmidt was then transferred to the Third Army under command of Lieutenant General Geoffrey Keyes, his classmate from West Point, where he became the chief of staff on May 20, 1946. From July 1948 to May 1949 he commanded the 101st Airborne Division.

Major General William Schmidt retired from the army, after 38 years of service, in 1951 and died at the age of 76 on July 18, 1966, in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, together with his wife Helen Munn Goodier, with whom he had two daughters.

Decorations

Here is Major general Schmidt's ribbon bar: