John A. Lejeune

John A. Lejeune

Lieutenant General John Archer Lejeune, (January 10, 1867 – November 20, 1942) was the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Known as the "greatest of all Leathernecks" and the "Marine's Marine", he served for nearly 40 years. His service included commanding the U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division during World War I and culminated with his service as the 5th Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute.

Lejeune (pronounced "Lah-JEHRN") was born on January 10, 1867 at the Old Hickory Plantation in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. He attended the preparatory program at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge from September 1881 to April 1884, leaving to prepare for the entrance exam for the U.S. Naval Academy. Subsequently, he secured an appointment as a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, from which he graduated in 1888, ranking second academically in his class of thirty-two midshipmen. At the completion of a two-year cruise as a midshipman, he did not want a Navy career, but rather chose the Marine Corps. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on 25 July 1890.