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01/18/2022
HS315 Leadership great commanders

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John Joseph Pershing was born in Missouri on September 13, 1860. He went to school at the Truman State University in Missouri and graduated in 1880 with a teaching degree and then he taught elementary School. he decided to further his education and enrolled into west point and graduated in 1886. then he decided he wanted to be a lwayer and enrolled in law school.
https://historicmissourians.shsmo.org/john-pershing

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John J. Pershing was one of America's most accomplished generals. He is most famous for serving as commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. These troops from America bolstered the spirits of European allies and helped defeat the Central Powers in 1918. Congress promoted Pershing to the rank of "General of the Armies of the United States" in 1919. He and George Washington are the only two people who have received this honor.

On September 13, 1860, John Joseph Pershing was born near Laclede, Linn County, Missouri. He was the first child born to John Fletcher Pershing and Ann Thompson Pershing. John had eight younger siblings, but only five survived to adulthood: May, Elizabeth, Grace, Ward, and James. His father owned a general store and served as postmaster of Laclede.

In 1873 an economic depression swept across the United States, affecting millions of Americans. John's father had taken out numerous bank loans to purchase area farmland. When the Panic of 1873 hit, the elder Pershing was unable to pay back the loans and watched helplessly as the banks foreclosed on all but one of his farms. The Pershings lost almost all of their wealth. John's father was forced to take a job as a traveling salesman. Fourteen-year-old John was put in charge of the family while his father was on the road. He was expected to make the family farm profitable and attend school.

John's family could not afford to send him to college, so he took a job as a teacher at Prairie Mound School in Chariton County, Missouri. Once he had saved enough money, John enrolled at Kirksville Normal School (now Truman State University). He graduated in 1880 with a teaching degree. John returned to Prairie Mound School after graduation. He soon decided, however, that he wanted to be a lawyer and returned to Kirksville to study law.

After reading an advertisement announcing an entrance exam for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, John decided to take the test to earn a free education. His sister Elizabeth helped him study. Only one person in the congressional district would win an appointment. Pershing earned the top exam score by a narrow margin and entered West Point in July 1882.

While Pershing struggled academically his first year at West Point, he was determined to succeed. Although he graduated thirtieth out of a class of seventy-seven in 1886, he was elected class president four years in a row.

General Pershing also needed to decide whether or not to lend American soldiers to the European allies. When the AEF arrived in Europe, the Allies were exhausted from three years of war. While some American military personnel and European allies wanted Pershing to send American troops to "fill in gaps" in the Allied armies, he established his authority by refusing to do so. He believed the strategy would not work because the training methods used by the U.S. and the Europeans were too different from each other. He also thought that a united American military force would hurt German morale more. Despite opposition, Pershing stood firm in his decision.

The AEF participated in numerous important battles such as the Battle of Cantigny, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, and the Battle of St. Mihiel. General Pershing eventually cut the Germans' lines at Sedan on November 6, 1918. He counted this as one of the AEF's most important accomplishments. On November 11, 1918, World War I ended, due to the combined efforts of the AEF and the European allies. General Pershing and his men were celebrated as heroes.

Text and research by Stephanie L. Kukuljan and Kimberly Harper

For more information about John Pershing's life and career, see the following resources:

Society Resources

The following is a selected list of books, articles, and manuscripts about John Pershing in the research centers of The State Historical Society of Missouri. The Society's call numbers follow the citations in brackets.

"General John Joseph 'Black Jack' Pershing: The Missourian Awards, 1999." The (Columbia) Missourian. November 6, 1999.

"Pershing Avoids Politics During Bombardment by Thirty Newspaper Men." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 9, 1919.

Christensen, Lawrence O., William E. Foley, Gary R. Kremer, and Kenneth H. Winn, eds. Dictionary of Missouri Biography. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1999. pp. 609-611. [REF F508 D561]

Dobak, William A. and Thomas D. Phillips. The Black Regulars, 1866-1898. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001. [REF 357.1 D65]

"Masonic Portrait: A close look at one of the workers in Freemasonry's quarries; Brother John Joseph 'Blackjack' Pershing." The Missouri Freemason, Spring 2002. pp. 42-43. [REF F587.1 F877]

"Missouri's 'Black Jack' Pershing: 'The Coolest Man Under Fire I Ever Saw.'" Senior Life Times, September 1999. [REF Vertical File]

O'Connor, Richard. Black Jack Pershing. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1961. [REF F508.1 P43o]

Palmer, Frederick. Pershing: General of the Armies. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986. [REF F508.1 P43p]

Pershing, John J. My Experiences in the World War. New York: Frederick A. Stokes, 1931. [REF F508.1 P43]

Smith, Gene. Until the Last Trumpet Sounds: The Life of General of the Armies John J. Pershing. New York: Wiley, 1998.

Smythe, Donald. Guerrilla Warrior: The Early Life of John J. Pershing. New York: Scribner, 1973. [REF F508.1 P43s]

Welsome, Eileen. The General & the Jaguar: Pershing's Hunt for Pancho Villa: A True Story of Revolution and Revenge. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2006.

Crowder, Enoch H. (1859-1932), Papers, 1884-1942 (C1046)
Correspondence and other papers of a judge advocate general who administered the Selective Service during World War I and served as ambassador to Cuba. References to Pershing can be found throughout the collection.

Lockmiller, David A. (1906-2005), Papers, 1880-1964 (C0405)
This collection contains the papers of General Enoch H. Crowder's biographer. Crowder was the administrator of the Selective Service during World War I and an ambassador to Cuba. Several letters written by Pershing to Crowder concerning Pancho Villa and World War I can be found in folder 1.

Lomax, Victor W., "Oh Yes, Some Called Him 'Black Jack'," n.d. (C3078)
Recollections of John J. Pershing by a native of Laclede, MO, Pershing's home town.

Lomax, Victor W., Papers (C4270)
Correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, and questionnaires concerning General John J. Pershing, Pershing Memorial State Park, and World War I.

State Historical Society of Missouri, Typescript Collection (C0995)
Item #70 of this collection contains a statement of Pershing's military service by the Adjutant General's Office of the War Department.

Outside Resources

These links, which open in another window, will take you outside the Society's website. The Society is not responsible for the content of the following websites:

Arlington National Cemetery
This website contains a biography of Pershing with photographs.

Firstworldwar.com
A multimedia history of World War I can be found at this website.

Pershing Museum
This website run by the Pershing Park Memorial Association includes a brief biography on Pershing and information about the different sites in Missouri memorializing Pershing.

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John J. Pershing - SHSMO Historic Missourians

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John J. Pershing was one of America's most accomplished generals. He is most famous for serving as commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. These troops from America bolstered the spirits of European allies and helped defeat the Central Powers in 1918.

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Why Should General Pershing Matter to Us today?

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Why Should General Pershing Matter to Us today?

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* He was the most famous commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)
* He created the Military Order of the World War for the veterans of the first world war and the military order of foreign wars which both still exist today
* he created the first blueprint of the interstate system in 1921 and it was instituted in 1956

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General Pershing's Leadership, organizational skills, dedication to his missions, his men, and his country lead to his exceptional military success.

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Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the bath (United Kingdom)
Legion D'honneur ( France)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Pershing#Later_career

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Why Studying the leader is important today

I believe that studying this leader is important because he helped create the Veterans Administration and was one of the first JAG Lawyers

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Wikipedia contributors. (2022, January 9). John J. Pershing. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:16, January 18, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_J._Pershing&oldid=1064570512

Article Title

John J. Pershing

Author
History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/john-j-pershing

Access Date

January 18, 2022

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 9, 2021

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009

https://tjaglcspublic.army.mil/general-pershing-and-his-jag

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You will assume without a moment’s hesitation that I have both your professional and personal interests at heart in everything that I suggest. Our uninterrupted friendship has extended over too many years to permit me any other view.1 – Major General Enoch H. Crowder.