Draft:Hubert Ward Beyette
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Hubert W. Beyette | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 21, 1891 Bowie, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | July 8, 1968 (aged 76) |
Burial place | Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, California |
| Spouse | Jessica Idanthea Moffatt |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
Branch | United States Army |
Service years | 1917–1946 |
Rank | Brigadier general |
| Unit | Quartermaster Corps |
| Commands | Memphis General Depot Schenectady General Depot |
Conflicts | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Legion of Merit |
Hubert Ward Beyette (September 21, 1891 – July 8, 1968) was a United States Army officer who served in the Quartermaster Corps during both world wars and attained the rank of brigadier general. During World War II, he commanded the Memphis General Depot and the Schenectady General Depot before serving in senior positions concerned with Army storage and the disposition of American war dead.[1]
Earlier in his career, Beyette served as a military aide at the White House during the administration of President Calvin Coolidge and later worked with the American Battle Monuments Commission. His work with the commission brought him into contact with John J. Pershing and Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library identifies Beyette in Eisenhower's papers as both a military colleague and personal friend.[2]
Early life and World War I
[edit]Beyette was born in Bowie, Texas, on September 21, 1891. His family later lived in San Angelo, Texas, where his father, E. A. Beyette, operated a business.[3]
In 1917, Beyette attended the officers' training camp at Leon Springs, Texas. He was commissioned a second lieutenant that August and was initially stationed in San Antonio.[4] He subsequently served as camp quartermaster at an aviation installation in Waco and in the Quartermaster Corps at Fort Sam Houston.[5]
Beyette later served in France during World War I. By June 1919 he had been promoted to captain and was serving at Saint-Aignan, France, on the headquarters staff of the Quartermaster Corps.[6]
Interwar career
[edit]Following World War I, Beyette remained in the Regular Army. He later served as a military aide at the White House during the presidency of Calvin Coolidge.[7]
Beyette also served with the American Battle Monuments Commission, which was headed by General John J. Pershing. A 1942 profile reported that Beyette made repeated trips to Europe in connection with the commission's work and assisted with battlefield and cemetery-related activities following World War I.[8] Army records of the commission list Major Hubert W. Beyette among the Quartermaster Corps officers assigned to its European office during the construction of American memorials and cemeteries.[9]
Among the other Army officers associated with the commission was Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1944, Beyette recalled having traveled with Eisenhower on battlefield inspections following World War I.[10] Eisenhower's presidential library later described Beyette as a military colleague and personal friend.[2]
Beyette married Jessica Idanthea Moffatt of Washington, D.C. The couple later had three daughters.[7][11]
World War II
[edit]By August 1940, Beyette had been promoted to lieutenant colonel in the Quartermaster Corps.[12] In 1941, while serving as executive officer of the San Antonio General Depot, he publicly discussed changes to Army procurement procedures intended to speed wartime purchasing.[13]
Memphis General Depot
[edit]In January 1942, Beyette was transferred to Memphis, Tennessee, to become commanding officer of the newly constructed Memphis General Depot. At the time of his appointment, The Commercial Appeal noted his previous service in San Antonio and New York, his White House assignment, his World War I service, and his work with the American Battle Monuments Commission.[14]
Beyette formally assumed command of the approximately $12 million depot on January 7, 1942. The installation was organized to handle quartermaster, engineer, and chemical supplies and was intended to serve a large area of the South and Midwest.[15]
Schenectady General Depot
[edit]In May 1942, Beyette was assigned to command the Schenectady General Depot in New York.[11] A profile published the following month described the depot as a major Army storage and distribution installation supplying several classes of military material.[8]
Beyette was promoted to colonel in the Army of the United States and, in September 1943, was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt for promotion to temporary brigadier general.[16][17] His promotion was effective September 16, 1943.[1]
While commanding the Schenectady depot, Beyette oversaw a substantial expansion of its operations. When he was later awarded the Legion of Merit, the citation credited him with increasing the depot's storage load from about 10,000 tons to more than 180,000 tons while dealing with manpower shortages.[18]
Army Service Forces and Memorial Division
[edit]In 1945, Beyette served as director of the Storage Division in the Army's supply organization.[19]
He was subsequently assigned to the Memorial Division of the Office of the Quartermaster General, which was responsible for planning the identification, recovery, and final disposition of American military dead from World War II. Army historians Edward Steere and Thayer M. Boardman wrote that Beyette was involved in reorganizing the division and developing plans for the repatriation program during 1945.[20]
During his tenure, Beyette approved changes to the Army's records system for graves registration and directed work connected with the planned repatriation and permanent burial of American war dead.[20] His tenure in the Memorial Division was brief; he relinquished the post in October 1945 because of ill health.[20]
Legion of Merit
[edit]In December 1945, Beyette received the Legion of Merit. The award recognized his service as commanding general of the Schenectady Army Service Forces Depot and later as director of the Quartermaster General's Storage Division. The citation noted the expansion of the Schenectady depot's workload and credited Beyette's use of available personnel with maintaining the depot's operations during a period of labor shortages.[18]
Later life
[edit]Beyette retired from the Army on October 31, 1946, with the rank of brigadier general.[1] He and his family settled in Coronado, California.[21]
Beyette maintained his friendship with Eisenhower after leaving the Army. A 1955 Fort Worth Star-Telegram profile described Beyette as a longtime professional associate of the president and discussed their military service together in Europe and Washington.[22]
Beyette died on July 8, 1968, at the age of 76. He was buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.[23]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Beyette, Hubert Ward". Generals.dk. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
- 1 2 "Dwight D. Eisenhower Pre-Presidential Papers, Principal File" (PDF). Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library. p. 13. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Army Advances Hubert Beyette, Former Angeloan". San Angelo Evening Standard. September 29, 1943. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Lieut. Beyette Transferred To Camp At Waco". San Angelo Evening Standard. November 24, 1917. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Lieut. Beyette Now At San Antonio Post". The San Angelo Weekly Standard. May 31, 1918. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Another Promotion Comes To Angeloan In Overseas Forces". San Angelo Evening Standard. June 18, 1919. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "Coolidge Aide To Be Married". Fort Worth Record-Telegram. November 26, 1927. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "Duty with Coolidge Marks Career of New Depot Chief". Knickerbocker News. Albany, New York. June 24, 1942. p. 16 – via GenealogyBank.
- ↑ "American Armies and Battlefields in Europe" (PDF). American Battle Monuments Commission. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
- ↑ Gouldy, Mabel (May 1, 1944). "Texas Wins Praise for War Effort". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. pp. 1–2 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "Col. Hubert Beyette Sent to Schenectady". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. May 15, 1942. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Official Army Register, 1946" (PDF). United States Department of the Army. 1946. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Beyette Praises New Army Purchase Order". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 31, 1941. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Col. Hubert Beyette to Head Army Depot". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. January 3, 1942. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Command of Memphis Depot Is Assumed". The Cincinnati Enquirer. January 8, 1942. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Four Colonels Are Promoted". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 29, 1943. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "To Be Brigadier Generals (Temporary), Army of the United States". George C. Marshall Foundation. 1943. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
- 1 2 "Gen. Beyette Gets Legion of Merit". San Antonio Express. December 18, 1945. p. 16 – via GenealogyBank.
- ↑ "Official Register of the United States" (PDF). United States Government Printing Office. 1945. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Steere, Edward; Boardman, Thayer M. (1957). Final Disposition of World War II Dead, 1945–51. Washington, D.C.: Historical Branch, Office of the Quartermaster General.
- ↑ Weston, Liz (February 10, 2025). "Your aunt is so cool!". Ask Liz Weston. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
- ↑ Cain, Ira (February 17, 1955). "Gen. Beyette, a Democrat, Puts Chips on Eisenhower". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery". Interment.net. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
Category:1891 births Category:1968 deaths Category:United States Army generals Category:United States Army personnel of World War I Category:United States Army generals of World War II Category:United States Army Quartermaster Corps officers Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit Category:People from Bowie, Texas Category:Military personnel from Texas Category:Burials at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery