Background
Griswold, Oscar Woolverton was born on October 22, 1886 in Ruby Valley, Nevada, United States. Son of Willard Smith and Margaret (Woolverton) Griswold.
Griswold, Oscar Woolverton was born on October 22, 1886 in Ruby Valley, Nevada, United States. Son of Willard Smith and Margaret (Woolverton) Griswold.
He attended the University of Nevada, Reno from 1905 to 1906, when he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy. He graduated from the Command and General Staff College in 1925, graduating 189th in the class of 258, and the United States. Army War College in 1929.
He is best known for his command of the XIV Corps in the South Pacific Area and South West Pacific Area during I. On graduation with the West Point Class of 1910, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry. His early company grade assignments included three years service in China from 1914 to 1917. During he served as a major and Lieutenant Colonel in the United States. 84th Infantry Division, American Expeditionary Force from 1918 to 1919, and participated in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
He was assigned to the United States Military Academy from 1921 to 1924.
From 1929 to 1931 he served with the War Department General Staff. This duty was followed by service with the United States Army Air Corps.
I
Griswold commanded the 29th Infantry from September 1939 to October 1940. Promoted to Major General in August 1941, he commanded 4th Infantry Division (Mechanised).
He was promoted to Lieutenant General in early 1945 and continued to serve in the Pacific theater under Douglas MacArthur, during the battle of Manila in February 1945.
In June 1945, General of the Army MacArthur nominated Griswold to command the Tenth United States Army following the death of Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Junior. in the Battle of Okinawa. However, he was passed over in favor of General Joseph Stilwell. In 1946 he received an Doctor of Laws from the University of Nevada, Reno.
In October 1947, he retired to The Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado and resided in the Broadmoor Stadium Apartments.
In 1948 he was employed by The Broadmoor Hotel Corporation as the Director of Athletic Events. These included ice hockey and figure skating in the Broadmoor Ice Palace (no longer extant).
He also appeared in a television segment of This Is Your Life in December 1956 where he lauded the exploits of an Army Captain who refused to surrender in the Philippine"s and successfully led a guerilla campaign against the Japanese until he turned himself in to General Griswold during United States Army combat operations. He remained employed by the Broadmoor until health problems caused him to retire.
He died on 28 September 1959.
He served as a member of the Infantry Board from 1932 to 1936, and from 1936 to 1939 was assigned to the Office, Chief of Infantry.
Married Elizabeth Katherine Matile, July 1, 1911. Children: Matile (wife of Lieutenant.