Roger B. Colton

Major General Roger Baldwin Colton (born 15 December 1887 in Jonesboro, Burke County, North Carolina) served as United States Army Air Communications Officer of Technical Services during World War II.[1]

Roger Baldwin Colton
Grave at Arlington National Cemetery
Born(1887-12-15)December 15, 1887
DiedJanuary 28, 1978(1978-01-28) (aged 90)
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
RankMajor General
Battles/warsBattle of the Kasserine Pass
AwardsLegion of Merit, Distinguished Service Medal

Early life

Roger Colton was the last of the eight brothers and sisters born to his parents of Irish descent. His father died when Colton was only six; his mother died when he was 16. His cousins were already raising his brother, Henry Elliott, and they took him in after the death of his mother.

Education

Colton's cousins sent him to the Taft School from which he graduated at age 19. He later attended Yale University. He graduated from Yale at the age of 22 with a Bachelor of Science degree from the Yale Sheffield School of Science and a membership in the Sigma Xi and Theta Xi<!-definitely an honorary, not the social--> honorary societies.

Military service

General Dwight D. Eisenhower credited Colton for his successful re-organization of the United States Armed Forces and final defeat of the Nazis at Kasserine Pass, and the Invasion of Sicily. This would later earn him a promotion in September 1944 to Major General of the Army. He was awarded the Legion of Merit and the Distinguished Service Medal for his technical and executive skills in development and supplying of vital communications equipment despite critical shortages of materials.

Later career

Following World War II, Colton joined the International Telephone & Telegraph Corporation's Federal Telephone and Radio Corporation division as a vice president. In 1950, he became president of Federal Telecommunications Laboratories, the company's research division.[2]

Death

Colton died January 24, 1978 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[3]

References
  1. Major General Roger Baldwin Colton a Biography ancestry.com
  2. Aviation Week & Space Technology, Volume 52, page 11
  3. Roger B. Colton Arlington Burial Site ancestry.com
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