Hugh Aloysius Drum

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Hugh Aloysius Drum
August 19, 1879(1879-08-19) – October 3, 1951 (aged 72)
Hugh Aloysius Drum
Place of birth	Fort Brady, Michigan
Place of death	New York City, New York
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1898-1943
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	U.S. Army, Pacific (Hawaiian Department) Eastern Defense Command Second Corps Area U.S. First Army
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Silver Star
Other work	President, Empire State Inc.

Hugh Aloysius Drum was a U.S. general. Born in Fort Brady, Michigan, he graduated from Boston College in 1898. Joining the U.S. Army, he was made a second lieutenant in the 12th Infantry Regiment. Regarded by some as one of the most adroit players of intra-service politics, Drum climbed quickly up the ranks in the Army; he became assistant Chief of Staff to General John J. Pershing in France during World War I. In 1918, he was promoted to colonel, and became Chief of Staff of the U.S. First Army, AEF.

After the war Drum served as the director of training for the School of the Line at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he taught the doctrine of open warfare that he and General Pershing had practiced in France. From there he went to the War Department in Washington, D.C. where he publicly clashed with Colonel Billy Mitchell about the disposition of the U.S. Army Air Corps. General Drum successfully lobbied Congress not to have the Air Corps broken out into a separate service.

He was promoted to Major General by 1931 and sent to Honolulu to serve as commander. It was during Drum's posting in Hawaii that he first encountered another ambitious officer, George S. Patton, Jr., with whom he had a contentious professional relationship. Following a stint at Fort Hayes, Ohio, Drum returned to Washington in 1933 to serve as deputy to the Chief of Staff, General Douglas MacArthur. From 1935 to 1937, Drum commanded the U.S. Army, Pacific (Hawaiian Department). In 1938, Drum took concurrent command of the newly activated U.S. First Army and Second Corps Area headquartered at Fort Jay, Governors Island, New York. When Chief of Staff General Malin Craig retired in 1939, Drum was passed over in favor of General George Marshall. Despite this disappointment, he received a promotion to lieutenant general in August 1939. With the onset of World War II, he assumed command of the Eastern Defense Command, responsible for domestic defense along the Alantic seaboard. Controversy continued to follow him after the outbreak of World War II. Hoping to be the General Pershing of the next great war, he was disappointed with an offer from Secretary of War Henry Stimson to go to what he perceived to be a low-profile assignment in China. After being passed over for that mission, Drum was relegated to home duty assignments until mandatory retirement in 1943. From 1944 until his death, he was the president of Empire State Inc.

During his career he was awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished Service Medal, the Mexican Border Service Medal, and the Croix de Guerre. After his death he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He left behind a widow, Mary Reaume Drum.

Fort Drum, New York is named for General Drum.