Surgeons General of the United States Army
Encyclopedia
The Surgeon General of the United States Army is the senior-most officer of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD). By policy, the Surgeon General (TSG) serves as Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command
United States Army Medical Command
The U.S. Army Medical Command is a major command of the U.S. Army that provides command and control of the Army's fixed-facility medical, dental, and veterinary treatment facilities, providing preventive care, medical research and development and training institutions.MEDCOM is commanded by the...

 (MEDCOM) as well as head of the AMEDD. His (or her) office and staff are known as the Office of the Surgeon General (OTSG) and are located in Falls Church, Virginia
Falls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...

.

By law, the Surgeon General may be appointed from any of the six officer branches of the AMEDD. However, to date appointed and confirmed Surgeons General have always been medical corps
Medical Corps (United States Army)
The Medical Corps of the U.S. Army is a staff corps of the U.S. Army Medical Department consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an MD or a DO degree, at least one year of post-graduate clinical training, and a state medical license.The MC traces its earliest origins...

 officers (military physicians). Since 1959, TSG has been appointed in the grade of Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

.

Duties

As a Commanding General, TSG provides advice and assistance to the Chief of Staff, Army
Chief of Staff of the United States Army
The Chief of Staff of the Army is a statutory office held by a four-star general in the United States Army, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the Army; and is in...

 (CSA) and to the Secretary of the Army (SECARMY) on all health care matters pertaining to the U.S. Army and its military health care system. He or she is responsible for development, policy direction, organization and overall management of an integrated Army-wide health service system and is the medical materiel developer for the Army. These duties include formulating policy regulations on health service support, health hazard assessment and the establishment of health standards. TSG is assisted by a Deputy Surgeon General.

History

Congress established the Medical Service of the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

 on July 27, 1775 and emplaced a "Chief physician & director general" of the Continental Army as its head at that time. The first five “surgeons general” of the U.S. Army served under this title. An Act
Act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by government with a legislature named "Congress," such as the United States Congress or the Congress of the Philippines....

 of May 28, 1789 established a "Physician general" of the U.S. Army (only Doctors Richard Allison and James Craik served according to this nomenclature). An Act of March 13, 1813 cited the "Physician & surgeon general" of the U.S. Army. This nomenclature remained in place until the Medical Department was established by the Reorganization Act of April 14, 1818. (Physicians assigned to the U.S. Army were not accorded military rank until 1847.)

Surgeons General of the U.S. Army and their precursors

No. Name Dates of Tenure Military Rank
1 Benjamin Church
Benjamin Church
Dr. Benjamin Church was effectively the first Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, serving as the "Chief Physician & Director General" of the Medical Service of the Continental Army from July 27, 1775 to October 17, 1775. He was also active in Boston's Sons of Liberty movement in the years before the...

, Jr
July 27, 1775–October 16, 1775 None
2 John Morgan
John Morgan (physician)
John Morgan was co-founder of the Medical College at the University of Pennsylvania, the first medical school in Colonial America; and he served as the second "Chief physician & director general" of the Continental Army...

October 16, 1775–January 1777 None
3 William Shippen, Jr. April 11, 1777–January 17, 1781 None
4 John Cochran
John Cochran (military physician)
John Cochran was the 4th Surgeon General of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.-Biography:Cochran was born in Sadsbury, Pennsylvania, the son of Irish immigrants. He served as physician under Lieutenant-Colonel John Bradstreet during his march on Fort Frontenac in 1758...

January 17, 1781–1783 None
VACANT 1783–1792 --
5 Richard Allison
Richard Allison (military physician)
Richard Allison was Physician General of the U.S. Army, the position that later became Surgeon General, from 1792 to 1796. He was the first physician to set up a permanent practice in Cincinnati, Ohio....

1792–1796 None
VACANT 1796–August 1, 1798 --
6 James Craik
James Craik
James Craik was Physician General of the United States Army, as well as George Washington's personal physician and close friend.-Education and emigration to America:...

August 1, 1798–June 15, 1800 None
VACANT June 15, 1800–June 11, 1813 --
7 James Tilton
James Tilton
James Tilton was an American physician and soldier from Dover, Delaware. He was a delegate for Delaware in the Continental Congress of 1783 and 1784, and served as Surgeon General of the United States Army during the War of 1812.James was born in 1745 to Thomas Tilton, a farmer in Kent County,...

June 11, 1813–June 15, 1815 None
VACANT June 15, 1815–April 18, 1818 --
8 Joseph Lovell
Joseph Lovell
Dr. Joseph Lovell was the 8th Surgeon General of the United States Army, ,-Family:Lovell was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of James S. and Deborah Lovell...

April 18, 1818–October 17, 1836 None
9 Thomas Lawson
Thomas Lawson (Military physician)
Thomas Lawson was born in Princess Anne County, Virginia in 1789. Nothing is known about his early education or medical education, but it is assumed that he trained under local physicians.Military Career...

October 17, 1836–May 15, 1861 Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

 (Brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...

)
10 Clement Finley
Clement Finley
Clement Alexander Finley , was the 10th Surgeon General of the United States Army, May 15, 1861 – April 14, 1862.-Early life:...

May 15, 1861–April 28, 1862 Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

11 William Alexander Hammond
William Alexander Hammond
William Alexander Hammond, M.D. was an American neurologist and the 11th Surgeon General of the U.S. Army...

April 28, 1862–August 18, 1864 Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

12 Joseph K. Barnes August 18, 1864–1882 Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

13 Charles H. Crane
Charles H. Crane
Charles Henry Crane B.A. M.A. M.D. was an American physician and the 13th Surgeon General of the United States Army . He was the son of Colonel Ichabod B. Crane...

1882–1883 Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

14 Robert Murray 1883–1886 Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

15 John Moore
John Moore (physician)
John Moore, MD was a leading United States Army physician during the American Civil War who rose to become Surgeon General of the Army in the late 1880s.-Early life and medical training:...

1886–1890 Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

16 Jedediah Hyde Baxter 1890 Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

17 Charles Sutherland 1890–May 30, 1893 Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

18 George Miller Sternberg
George Miller Sternberg
Brigadier General George Miller Sternberg was a U.S. Army physician who is considered the first U.S. bacteriologist, having written Manual of Bacteriology...

May 30, 1893– June 8, 1902 Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

19 William H. Forwood
William H. Forwood
William Henry Forwood was a surgeon from Brandywine Hundred, Delaware, who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and eventually as Surgeon General of the United States Army from June 8, 1902 until September 7, 1902.-During the war:Forwood attended Crozier Academy in Chester,...

June 8, 1902– September 7, 1902 Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

20 Robert M. O'Reilly September 7, 1902–January 14, 1909 Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

21 George H. Torney
George H. Torney
Brigadier General George Henry Torney was a physician in the United States Navy and Army who served as the 21st Surgeon General of the United States Army....

January 14, 1909–December 27, 1913 Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

22 William Crawford Gorgas January 1914–1918 Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...

23 Merritte Weber Ireland 1918–1931 Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...

24 Robert U. Patterson 1931–1935 Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...

25 Charles R. Reynolds 1935–1939 Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...

26 James C. Magee 1939–1943 Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...

27 Norman T. Kirk 1943–1947 Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...

28 Raymond W. Bliss 1947–1951 Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...

29 George E. Armstrong 1951–1955 Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...

30 Silas B. Hays 1955–June 1959 Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...

31 Leonard D. Heaton
Leonard D. Heaton
Leonard Dudley Heaton was Surgeon General of the United States Army from 1959 to 1969.- Youth and education :...

June 1959–1969 Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

32 Hal B. Jennings
Hal B. Jennings
Hal Bruce Jennings, Jr. , Surgeon General, 10 October 1969-30 September 1973, was born in Seneca, Michigan. He attended schools in Toledo, Ohio, graduating from De Vilbiss High School in 1933. Jennings next studied at the University of Toledo where he undertook a pre-medical course and graduated...

1969–October 1973 Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

33 Richard R. Taylor
Richard R. Taylor
Dr. Richard Ray Taylor was a Lieutenant General in the United States military and served as the 33rd Surgeon General of the United States Army.-Early life and education:...

October 1973–1977 Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

34 Charles C. Pixley
Charles C. Pixley
Charles Calvin Pixley , was the 34th Surgeon General of the United States Army, serving in that capacity from October 1, 1977 to September 20, 1981.-Early life:...

1977–1981 Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

35 Bernard T. Mittemeyer
Bernard T. Mittemeyer
Bernard Theodore Mittemeyer is a retired lieutenant general, who served as Surgeon General of the United States Army between 1981 and 1985.-Early life, education, and career:...

1981–1985 Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

36 Quinn H. Becker 1985–1988 Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

37 Frank F. Ledford, Jr 1988–1992 Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

38 Alcide M. Lanoue 1992–October 1996 Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

39 Ronald R. Blanck
Ronald R. Blanck
Lt. Gen. Ronald R. Blanck, D.O., was the 39th Surgeon General of the United States Army . He is a doctor of osteopathic medicine and is the only such physician ever appointed Surgeon General of the Army...

October 1996– September 22, 2000 Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

40 James B. Peake September 22, 2000 – July 8, 2004 Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

41 Kevin C. Kiley
Kevin C. Kiley
Major General Kevin C. Kiley was the 41st Surgeon General of the United States Army and commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He was commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center and North Atlantic Regional Medical Command twice, from 2002 to 2004, and as acting...

September 30, 2004–March 12, 2007 Lieutenant General (retired as Major General)
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...

(Acting) Gale Pollock
Gale Pollock
Gale S. Pollock is a retired United States Army major general who served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the United States Army from October 2006 to March 2007, and also as chief of the Army Nurse Corps. She became acting Surgeon General of the United States Army for nine months following the 20...

March 12, 2007–December 11, 2007 Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...

42 Eric B. Schoomaker December 11, 2007– Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...


  • Note: The AMEDD Museum at Fort Sam Houston
    Fort Sam Houston
    Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston....

    , San Antonio, Texas
    San Antonio, Texas
    San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...

     has a display on the Army Surgeons General including images of all of them except Dr. Richard Allison.

Agencies and programs within the OTSG

  • Military Vaccine Agency
    Military Vaccine Agency
    The Military Vaccine Agency is a U.S. government program operating within the Office of the U.S. Army Surgeon General which supports all five U.S. Armed Services to enhance military medical readiness by coordinating U.S. Department of Defense immunization programs worldwide...

     (MILVAX)
  • Borden Institute
    Borden Institute
    The Borden Institute is a U.S. Army “Center of Excellence in Military Medical Research and Education” located on the grounds of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center , in Washington, DC....


See also

  • Library of the Surgeon General's Office
    Library of the Surgeon General's Office
    The Library of the Surgeon General's Office, later called the Army Medical Library, was the institutional medical literature repository of the U.S...

    , now the National Library of Medicine
  • Medical Corps (United States Army)
    Medical Corps (United States Army)
    The Medical Corps of the U.S. Army is a staff corps of the U.S. Army Medical Department consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an MD or a DO degree, at least one year of post-graduate clinical training, and a state medical license.The MC traces its earliest origins...

  • Surgeon General of the United States Navy
    Surgeon General of the United States Navy
    The Surgeon General of the United States Navy is the senior-most medical corps officer in the United States Navy.- Establishment of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery :...

  • Surgeon General of the United States Air Force
    Surgeon General of the United States Air Force
    The Surgeon General of the United States Air Force is the senior-most Medical Service officer in the U.S. Air Force. In recent times, this has been a Lieutenant General who serves as head of the United States Air Force Medical Service...


External links

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