Lytle Brown

Lytle Brown (November 22, 1872 – May 3, 1951) was a U.S. Army officer who fought in the Spanish–American War and participated in the Mexican Expedition of 1916. Brown later served as Chief of Engineers from 1929 to 1933.

Lytle Brown
Major General Lytle Brown, Chief of Engineers 1929–1933
Born	November 22, 1872 Nashville, Tennessee
Died	May 3, 1951 (aged 78) Nashville, Tennessee
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1898–36
Rank	Major General
Commands held	2d Battalion of Engineers Chief of Engineers Panama Canal Department
Wars	Spanish–American War Mexican Expedition World War I
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal, Order of the Bath, Officer of the Legion of Honour

Early life

Born November 22, 1872, in Nashville, Tennessee, Lytle Brown was the son of James Trimble Brown (1842-1878) and Jane Foster Nichol Brown (1845-1916). His father had been a 1st Lieutenant in the Confederate Army and a post-war attorney in Nashville. Lytle Brown was a grandson of Neill S. Brown, an antebellum governor of Tennessee. Brown graduated fourth in the United States Military Academy (West Point) class of 1898 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers.[1]

Military career

Brown served with engineer troops in Cuba in 1898 at the Battle of San Juan Hill and the siege of Santiago before being made Engineer of the Department of Northern Luzon in the Philippine Islands in 1900. After completing his tour in the Philippines, he served an instructor at West Point from 1903–1907. Brown oversaw river improvement projects in 1908–12 as Louisville District Engineer.[1]

While commanding a battalion of engineers at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1911, General Brown made Douglas MacArthur, future General of the Army, his Adjutant. When General MacArthur was Chief of Staff, he placed Brown in charge of the Panama Canal district. Brown commanded the 2d Battalion of Engineers and served as engineer of Pershing's 1916 punitive expedition into Mexico. In 1917, he was promoted to colonel, and then in 1918 to the rank of wartime brigadier. Brown headed the War Plans Division of the War Department General Staff from May 1918 to June 1919,[1] addressing important Army policy issues during and immediately after World War I, and was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal.

Brown oversaw construction work at the Wilson Dam hydroelectric project in 1919–20. He was assistant commandant of the Army War College and a brigade commander in the Canal Zone before becoming Chief of Engineers, from 1929–1933. He concluded his military career as commander of the Panama Canal Department (1935–36). General Brown retired November 30, 1936.[2]

Awards

• Army Distinguished Service Medal[3]
• Order of the Bath[4]
• Officer of the Legion of Honour[4]

In politics

In Huey Long's posthumous book, My First Days in the White House, Brown was to have been his nominee to be Secretary of the Interior.[5]

During his retirement, he was active as a member of the National Capital Planning Commission.[4]

Death and legacy

Brown died in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 3, 1951, at the age of 78.[6] He was buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery.[7]

References

• This article contains public domain text from "Major General Lytle Brown". Portraits and Profiles of Chief Engineers. Archived from the original on March 6, 2005. Retrieved August 26, 2005.
• New York Times, May 4, 1951, p. 27 obituary (PDF)

1. Davis, Jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. p. 52. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.
2. Davis, Jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. p. 52. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.
3. "Valor awards for Lytle Brown".
4. Davis, Jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. p. 53. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.
5. Long, Huey Pierce (2013). My first days in the White House. Stackpole Books.
6. Davis, Jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Pentland Press, Inc. p. 53. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.
7. "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Mount Olivet Cemetery". National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 7, 2017.

Bibliography

• Davis, jr., Henry Blaine (1998). Generals in Khaki. Raleigh, North Carolina: Pentland, Press Inc. pp. 52–53. ISBN 1-57197-088-6.

External links

• Media related to Lytle Brown at Wikimedia Commons