Background
Arthur MacArthur Jr. was born on June 2, 1845, in Chicopee, Massachusetts, United States. His family moved in 1849 to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Arthur MacArthur Jr. was born on June 2, 1845, in Chicopee, Massachusetts, United States. His family moved in 1849 to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Arthur MacArthur Jr. at the age of 17, he joined the Twenty-fourth Wisconsin Regiment as adjutant and first lieutenant for service in the Civil War. He soon became acting colonel.
His regiment participated in the battle of Franklin, in 1864, and the "boy colonel" was specially commended. In June 1865, when he was mustered out, MacArthur was said to be the youngest regimental commander in the United States Army. He received a commission in the regular army in February 1866.
He served in various Indian campaigns in the Southwest, and in 1896 became a lieutenant colonel. During the Spanish-American War he served in the Philippines, and was made a brigadier general of volunteers. His troops participated in the advance on Manila and in the Battle of Manila, August 13, 1898.
MacArthur rose to major general in the regular army in February 1901. Soon afterward he was appointed military governor and commander of the Division of the Philippines. After various assignments in the United States, MacArthur commanded the Pacific Division from January 1904 to April 1907.
He was a lieutenant general when he retired on June 2, 1909. While speaking before the Loyal Legion, of which he was president, he was stricken and died.
MacArthur was the father of General Douglas MacArthur, as well as Arthur MacArthur III, a captain in the Navy who was awarded the Navy Cross in World War I.
