Wilber Elliott Wilder
Wilber Elliott Wilder (August 18, 1857 – January 30, 1952) was a United States Army Brigadier General who was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for rescuing a wounded soldier under heavy fire.[1]
Wilber Wilder | |
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![]() Wilder in 1918 as commander of the 168th Infantry Brigade, 84th Division. | |
Born | Atlas, Michigan | August 18, 1857
Died | January 30, 1952 94) Governors Island, New York | (aged
Place of burial | Fairlawn Cemetery, Ridgefield, Connecticut |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() |
Years of service | 1877–1920 |
Rank | ![]() |
Unit | 4th Cavalry Regiment |
Commands held | 5th Cavalry Regiment 84th Infantry Division |
Battles/wars | Indian Wars Spanish–American War Pancho Villa Expedition World War I |
Awards | Medal of Honor |
Education and army career
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Wilber Elliott Wilder graduated from West Point in June, 1877, when he was just short of 21 years old. In 1886, he was a key figure in negotiating the surrender of the Apache chief Geronimo.[2][3][4] While an Army Captain, he served as acting superintendent of Yellowstone National Park from March 15, 1899 - June 22, 1899.[5] He also served in Spanish–American War, Pancho Villa Expedition, World War I. From 1913 to 1916, he was commander of Fort Myer.
Personal life
He married Violet Blair Martin (1860-1919), of the prominent Throop-Martin family of "Willowbrook" near Auburn, New York, on April 16, 1884. Violet's brother Edward Sanford Martin (1856-1939) was a writer; her sister Emily (1846-1870) had married General Emory Upton. Wilber and Violet Wilder had a son, Wilber, and a daughter, Violet.[2] After Violet's death, Wilder remarried in 1921 to widow Rose Dimond Phinney Grosvenor (1857-1923) and then to Laura Williams Merritt (1871-1951), widow of General Wesley Merritt. He outlived them both and, at the time of his death, was the oldest surviving graduate of the Academy. He died in Governors Island, New York but was residing in Ridgefield, Connecticut at the time.[6]
His daughter Sylvia was the first wife of British diplomat Sir Alvary Gascoigne.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Horseshoe Canyon, N. Mex., 23 April 1882. Entered service at: Detroit, Mich. Birth: Atlas, Mich. Date of issue: 17 August 1896.
Citation: Assisted, under a heavy fire, to rescue a wounded comrade.[1]
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
- "Medal of Honor recipients Indian Wars Period". Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
- "Wilber Elliott Wilder". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
- Gatewood, Charles B. (2009). Lt. Charles Gatewood & His Apache Wars Memoir. Lincoln, NE: Bison Books. pp. 241, 257. ISBN 0-8032-1884-2.
- Thrapp, Dan L. (1979). Conquest of Apacheria. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 356. ISBN 0-8061-1286-7.
- "Historic Listing of National Park Service Officials". National Park Service. 2000. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
- "Obituaries". Time. 1952-02-11. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
External links
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