Alfred Gruenther

Alfred Gruenther
Birth nameAlfred Maximilian Gruenther
Born(1899-03-03)March 3, 1899
Platte Center, Nebraska, U.S.
DiedMay 30, 1983(1983-05-30) (aged 84)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Buried
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1918–1956
Rank General
Service number0-12242
Unit Field Artillery Branch
CommandsSupreme Allied Commander Europe (1953−1956)
Battles / warsWorld War II
AwardsArmy Distinguished Service Medal (4)
Alma materUS Military Academy
Other workAmerican Red Cross president (1957–1964)

General Alfred Maximilian Gruenther (March 3, 1899 – May 30, 1983) was a senior United States Army officer, Red Cross president, and bridge player. After being commissioned towards the end of World War I, he served in the army throughout the interwar period and into World War II, where he was primarily a staff officer. Several years later, at the age of fifty-two, he became the second youngest four-star general in the history of the United States Army, after only Douglas MacArthur, and succeeded General Matthew Ridgway as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (SACEUR) serving from 1953 to 1956.