Charles Brewster Wheeler | |
|---|---|
_2.jpg) National Archives photo of Wheeler as a brigadier general, c. 1917 | |
| Nickname(s) | "Sam" |
| Born | May 3, 1865 Matteson, Illinois, US |
| Died | April 11, 1946 (aged 80) Wayland, Massachusetts, US |
| Buried | Pittsfield Cemetery, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, US |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1887–1919 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Service number | O13386 |
| Unit | United States Army Ordnance Corps |
| Commands | U.S. Military Commission for Czechoslovakia Chief Ordnance Officer, U.S. Forces in Great Britain Base Section Number 3, Services of Supply Chief Ordnance Officer, American Expeditionary Forces Chief of Ordnance of the United States Army Supply Division, United States Army Ordnance Corps Chief Ordnance Officer, Philippine Division Manila Ordnance Depot |
| Wars | Spanish–American War Philippine–American War World War I |
| Awards | Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Honour (Commander) (France) Order of the Bath (Companion) (Great Britain) (Honorary) |
| Alma mater | United States Military Academy |
| Spouse(s) |
Zella Lentilhon
(m. 1893–1916)Ruth (Whitmore) Parker
(m. 1921–1928) |
| Children | 2 |
| Other work | Vice President, Eaton, Crane and Pike Company |
Charles Brewster Wheeler (May 3, 1865 – April 11, 1946) was a career officer in the United States Army. An 1887 graduate of the United States Military Academy, he was a veteran of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, and World War I and attained the rank of brigadier general. Wheeler's awards and decorations included the Army Distinguished Service Medal, French Legion of Honour (Commander), and honorary Order of the Bath (Companion) from the United Kingdom.
A native of Matteson, Illinois, Wheeler was raised and educated in Matteson and Hyde Park, Illinois, and briefly resided in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. He was appointed to the United States Military Academy (West Point) in 1883, graduated in 1887, and received his commission as a second lieutenant of Field Artillery. He soon transferred to Ordnance, and was a recognized expert in the design and production of Artillery weapons and equipment. During the Spanish–American War and Philippine–American War he was responsible for the procurement and fielding of Field Artillery and Coast Artillery materiel used in Cuba, the Philippines, and other areas of combat. After these two conflicts, he served in the Philippines and spent several years as commander of the Watertown Arsenal in Massachusetts.
During World War I, Wheeler was promoted to brigadier general, and he served successively as: head of the Supply Division, United States Army Ordnance Corps; Chief of Ordnance of the United States Army; Chief Ordnance Officer, American Expeditionary Forces; commander, Base Section Number 3, Services of Supply; Chief Ordnance Officer, U.S. Forces in Great Britain; and chairman of the U.S. Military Commission for Czechoslovakia.
Wheeler retired in 1919 and settled in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where he served as vice president for manufacturing at the Eaton, Crane and Pike Company, a paper manufacturer. He retired in 1933, and in 1943 he moved to Wayland, Massachusetts to live with his daughter and son-in-law. He died in Wayland on April 11, 1946, and was buried at Pittsfield Cemetery in Pittsfield.