Garrison H. Davidson

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Garrison Holt Davidson
April 24, 1904(1904-04-24) – December 25, 1992 (aged 88)

Major General Garrison H. Davidson, Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy, 1956
Nickname "Gar"
Place of birth Bronx, New York
Place of death Oakland, California
Allegiance Flag of the United States United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service 1927-1964
Rank Lieutenant General
Commands held 24th Infantry Division
Command and General Staff College
U.S. Military Academy
U.S. Seventh Army
U.S. First Army
U.S. Military Representative to the United Nations
Battles/wars World War II
*Korean War
Awards Distinguished Service Medal
Garrison H. "Gar" Davidson

Title Head coach
College Army
Sport Football
Career highlights
Overall 35-11-1
Coaching stats
College Football DataWarehouse
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1933-1937, Asst. 1927-1932 Army

A career U.S. Army officer and World War II combat commander, Garrison Holt "Gar" Davidson was born in the Bronx, New York City on April 24, 1904. He attended and a star football player at the prestigious Stuyvesant High School in New York City, graduating in 1923. Davidson realized a boyhood dream of becoming a soldier when he was granted an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. There he distinguished himself in football and graduated with the Class of 1927. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with the 1st Engineer Regiment at Fort DuPont, Delaware, and maintained a West Point connection as an assistant Army football coach.

In 1930, he returned to West Point as an instructor in the physics department and assistant football coach. In 1933, he became head football coach, finishing in the 1937 season with a record of 35 wins, 11 losses and 1 tie. From 1938 to 1940 he was posted to Hawaii as a company commander with the 3rd Engineer Regiment. Just prior to World War II, Davidson transferred to Washington, D.C. working for U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Colonel Leslie Groves on the construction of The Pentagon.

Contents

[edit] World War II Service

In World War II, Davidson was a colonel was engineering officer for U.S. Seventh Army serving General George S. Patton in North Africa and Sicily. As a combat engineer, his efforts enabled Patton’s armor to move rapidly across enemy territory. An appreciative Patton used his own general stars to honor Davidson in a 1943 battlefield promotion to brigadier general. Davidson remained with U.S. Seventh Army with General Alexander Patch, providing planning for Anvil or Operation Dragoon in southern France and Seventh Army's move through Germany.

[edit] Korean War Service

After World War II in 1946, he was appointed U.S. Sixth Army chief of staff for General Mark W. Clark and Albert C. Wedemeyer at the Presidio of San Francisco. In July 1950, he was called to Korea by U.S. Eighth Army commander General Walton H. Walker and directed to construct a defensive line protecting the Pusan Perimeter. Known as "Line Davidson", Davidson had to subvert his good judgment to construct the line to the preferences of General Douglas MacArthur and Walker, trading away defensibility and good internal communications.

As the North Korean invasion was repelled, Davidson was assigned to the 24th Infantry Division as assistant commander. Davidson reprised his effort at fortifying a more defensible perimeter around Pusan with the second North Korean invasion. Afterwards, he constructed fortifications north of Seoul. He concluded his tour of duty as acting commander of the Korean Military Assistance Group. From 1951 to 1954 he was a weapons system analyst at The Pentagon.

[edit] Military Educator

During the next six years, Davidson played a significant role in training officers serving in the post-war and atomic eras. Starting in 1954 he was commander of the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, then in 1956 he was named Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. There he largely prevailed over strong traditionalist viewpoints, undertaking the most rigorous revision and modernization of the academy’s instructional program since Sylvanus Thayer (1817-1833), the academy’s legendary superintendent. While at West Point, he was confirmed and promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in 1957.

Davidson was commanding general of U.S. Seventh Army in West Germany in 1960 saw to the mobilization of Seventh Army during the Berlin Wall crisis.

[edit] Retirement

In 1962, his final command was of U.S. First Army headquartered at Fort Jay, Governors Island, New York. While there he also served as U.S. Military Representative to the United Nations. After a 37 year military career, Davidson retired from active duty on April 30, 1964.

Davidson resumed his connection with West Point when appointed by President Ronald Reagan to a two year term to the Board of Visitors to the U.S. Military Academy in December 1982.

Davidson died in Oakland, California on December 25, 1992 and was buried at the West Point Cemetery. The inscription on his gravestone reads: “Soldier, Coach, Educator and His Best Teammate", the latter reference to his wife of 58 years, Verone Gruenther Davidson who died in 1996.

[edit] Head Coaching Record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl Coaches# AP°
1933 Army 9-1-0
1934 Army 7-3-0
1935 Army 6-2-1
1936 Army 6-3-0
1937 Army 7-2-0
Total: 35-11-1
†Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll of the season.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  • Ray, Max (1980). The History of the First United States Army From 1918 to 1980. Fort Meade MD: First United States Army, 120, 124. 
  • "Meeting The Challenges of The Cold War: 1950-1970" in West Point Bicentennial: A Pictorial History of the First Two Hundred Years of the United States Military Academy. Available from World Wide Web at http://www.usma.edu/bicentennial/history/1950.asp
  • John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters, The American Presidency Project [online]. Santa Barbara, CA: University of California (hosted), Gerhard Peters (database). Available from World Wide Web: at http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=42159
v • d • e
Army Black Knights Head Football Coaches

Michie • Williams • Bliss • Graves • Dyer • Koehler • Kromer • Nolan • King • Boyers • Smither • Nelly • Beacham • Graves • Daly • Keyes • Mitchell • Daly • McEwan • Jones • Sasse • Davidson • Wood • Blaik • Hall • Dietzel • Cahill • Smith • Saban • Cavanaugh • Young • Sutton • Berry • Mumford • Ross • Brock
Preceded by
Blackshear M. Bryan		 Superintendents of the United States Military Academy
1956–1960		 Succeeded by
William Westmoreland

[edit] See also

United States Army Portal