James Harbord

James Harbord
Harbord, pictured here in France in October 1918 when he was a major general
Born	March 21, 1866 Bloomington, Illinois, United States
Died	August 20, 1947 (aged 81) Rye, New York, United States
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army Infantry Branch Corps of Engineers
Years of service	1889−1922
Rank	Lieutenant General
Service number	10-18
Unit	Infantry Branch Cavalry Branch
Commands	4th Marine Brigade 2nd Division Services of Supply, American Expeditionary Forces
Battles / wars	Spanish–American War Philippine–American War Border War World War I
Awards	Army Distinguished Service Medal Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Other work	President and chairman of the board of RCA

Lieutenant General James Guthrie Harbord (March 21, 1866 – August 20, 1947) was a senior officer of the United States Army and president and chairman of the board of RCA. During World War I, he served from mid-1917 to mid-1918 as chief of staff of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), commanded by General John J. Pershing, before commanding a brigade and briefly a division and then the Services of Supply of the AEF. In the former role he was, in the words of former soldier-turned historian David T. Zabecki,

The U.S. Army's first modern operational-level chief of staff in a combat theater, and he would be the model for all others who followed. He played a key role in developing the staff structure and organization used throughout the U.S. military to this day, as well as by most NATO countries. He was one of the most influential U.S. Army officers of the early 20th century.^[1]