Background
Andrews, Frank Maxwell was born on February 3, 1884 in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Son of James David and Louise (Maxwell) Andrews.
Andrews, Frank Maxwell was born on February 3, 1884 in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Son of James David and Louise (Maxwell) Andrews.
Andrews graduated 42nd in his class and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 8th Cavalry on June 12, 1906, assigned to the Philippines from October 1906 to May 1907, and then to Fort Huachuca, Arizona. In 1912, he was promoted to an available billet as a first lieutenant in the 2nd Cavalry, at Fort Bliss, Texas, and in 1916 received a promotion to captain in the regiment while at Plattsburgh Barracks, New York.
The United States Army he joined was smaller than that of Bulgaria, but it gave the young second lieutenant ample opportunities to play polo, see the world (serving as aide-de-camp to Gen. Montgomery M. Macomb in Hawaii between 1911 and 1913), and observe the high and low politics of leadership. After marrying Jeannette "Johnny" Allen, the high-spirited daughter of Maj. Gen. Henry Tureman Allen, in 1914, Andrews gained entrée into elite inner circles of Washington society and within the military.
A determined though moderate advocate of strategic air power, Andrews is credited with development of the Boeing B-17 bomber; his command became the model for the powerful army air forces of World War II. During the war Andrews, as air commander in the Caribbean and later as head of the Caribbean defense command, was the first U.S. airman to command an entire theatre. He was promoted to lieutenant general in 1941. In February 1943, three months before his death in an air crash, he assumed command of all U.S. forces in Europe, succeeding Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower when the latter was named Allied Commander of the North African theatre of operations.
Served in Philippine Islands, 1906-1907. Member War Department General Staff, 1934-1935. Member War Department General Staff, 1939-1940.
Clubs: Army and Navy, Metropolitan (Washington).
Married Jeannette Allen, March 16, 1914. Children: Josephine, Allen, Jean.