Malin Craig

Malin Craig
Craig as Chief of Staff of the United States Army
Born	(1875-08-05)August 5, 1875 Saint Joseph, Missouri, United States
Died	July 25, 1945(1945-07-25) (aged 69) Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, D.C., United States
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, United States
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1898–1939 1941–1945
Rank	General
Service number	0-86
Unit	Infantry Branch Cavalry Branch
Commands	Chief of Staff of the United States Army United States Army War College Panama Canal Zone United States Army Cavalry School
Battles / wars	Spanish–American War China Relief Expedition Philippine–American War World War I Meuse-Argonne Offensive World War II
Awards	Army Distinguished Service Medal (3)

Malin Craig (August 5, 1875 – July 25, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who served as the 14th Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1935 to 1939. He served in World War I and was recalled to active duty during World War II^[1] He played a large role in preparing the U.S. Army for World War II.^[2]

Craig was born on August 5, 1875, in Saint Joseph, Missouri, a son of Army officer Louis A. Craig and Georgie (Malin) Craig.^[3] His siblings included Louis A. Craig and his paternal grandfather was James Craig.^[3][4] He entered the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York on June 20, 1894.^[2][5] He graduated on April 26, 1898, and was ranked 33rd of 59. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Infantry branch. Craig's initial assignment was to the 4th Infantry Regiment.

On June 23, 1898, Craig transferred to the Cavalry branch, and he was assigned to the 6th Cavalry Regiment during the Santiago Campaign, the United States invasion of Cuba during the Spanish–American War.^[6] After his return from Cuba, Craig transferred to the 4th Cavalry Regiment, serving in Wyoming and Oklahoma until 1900, when he served in the China Relief Expedition and in the Philippine Insurrection until 1902. He was promoted to first lieutenant on February 2, 1901,^[6] transferring back to the 6th Cavalry.^[7][2]

Craig attended the Infantry and Cavalry School from 1903 to 1904 and the Staff College from 1904 to 1905. He was promoted to captain on May 7, 1904,^[6] assigned to the 10th Cavalry Regiment and later the 1st Cavalry Regiment. Craig was garrisoned as a regimental quartermaster at Fort Clark in Kinney, Texas from 1906 to 1909. He would go on to graduate from the Army War College in 1910, where Hunter Liggett was among his classmates, and serve in a variety of administrative positions, most notable of which was assigning troops to their regiments.^[8]

He served with the 1st Cavalry Regiment in the western United States in 1912, then became an instructor at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Army Service Schools, where he served in 1916 and 1917. He transferred to the General Staff Corps in 1917.^[9]

Craig was promoted to major on May 15, 1917, shortly after the American entry into World War I. He was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel on August 17 and temporary colonel on March 27, 1918.^[10][8]

Craig served in France during World War I as chief of staff to General Hunter Liggett in the 41st Division and later in I Corps, where he was promoted to temporary brigadier general on July 11, 1918. He then became chief of staff of the Third Army.^[10] He received the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his service during the war. His citation reads as follows:

General Craig served in turn as Chief of Staff of a division, a corps, and an Army, in each of which capacities he exhibited great ability. His personal influence, aggressiveness, and untiring efforts were repeatedly displayed in the operations of the 1st Corps in the vicinity of Chateau-Thierry, on the Oureq, and the Vesle during the St. Mihiel and Argonne-Meuse offensives.^[11]

After the war, Craig reverted to his permanent rank of major on August 15, 1919, but was promoted to colonel on July 1, 1920, and to brigadier general only 15 days later.

When Craig was promoted to colonel, he was put in command of the District of Arizona in 1920 and became the commandant of the Cavalry School from 1921 to 1923, after his promotion to brigadier general in April 1921.^[9] He served as Chief of Cavalry with the rank of major general from July 24, 1924, to March 20, 1926.^[10] He was succeeded by Herbert B. Crosby, after which he was assigned to command the Panama Canal Zone from April 1, 1928 to August 30, 1930.

Craig served as the commander of the Ninth Corps Area, headquartered in San Francisco, from November 21, 1930, to January 24, 1935.

Craig served as president of the Army War College in 1935, before being selected as Chief of Staff of the United States Army. He served as chief of staff from October 2, 1935, to August 31, 1939, succeeding General Douglas MacArthur and preceding George C. Marshall. That appointment carried with it a temporary promotion to full (four-star) general.^[10]

As Chief of Staff of the Army, Craig pointed out to Congress the army's lack of preparedness in manpower and material, stressed the necessity of lead time in military preparedness, focused attention on army planning, and, within governmental constraints, prepared the army for World War II. Craig, who opposed any mission for the Air Corps except that of supporting ground forces, also actively opposed the movement for a separate air force, and also refused to acknowledge the superiority of a four-engined bomber over all other types. This caused the cut back on planned purchases of B-17s to procure smaller but cheaper (and inferior) twin-engine light and medium bombers such as the Douglas B-18.

He retired, with the rank of general, on August 31, 1939, after forty-one years of active duty service. Upon his retirement, he received a second Distinguished Service Medal for his service as Army Chief of Staff.

Craig's retirement was short-lived, however. On September 26, 1941, with war on the horizon, he was recalled to active duty to head the War Department's Personnel Board, a body responsible for selecting individuals who were to receive direct commissions in the army. He headed the board until shortly before his death.

Craig died at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., on July 25, 1945, where he had been ill for the previous year.^[1] He was posthumously awarded a third Distinguished Service Medal and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.^[10]

In April 1901, Craig married Genevieve Woodruff, a daughter of General Charles Woodruff.^[7] They were the parents of a son, Malin Craig Jr. (1902–1981).^[12] Malin Craig Jr. was a career Army officer and World War II veteran who retired as a colonel.^[12] After his military retirement, he taught geometry in the public schools of Montgomery County, Maryland.^[12]

No insignia	Cadet, United States Military Academy: June 20, 1894
No pin insignia in 1898	Second lieutenant, Regular Army: April 26, 1898
	First lieutenant, Regular Army: February 2, 1901
	Captain, Regular Army: May 7, 1904
	Major, Regular Army: May 15, 1917
	Lieutenant colonel, National Army: August 17, 1917 (date of rank was August 5, 1917)
	Colonel, National Army: March 27, 1918 (date of rank was February 6, 1918)
	Brigadier general, National Army: July 11, 1918 (date of rank was June 26, 1918)
	Major, Regular Army: August 15, 1919 (reverted to permanent rank)
	Colonel, Regular Army: July 1, 1920
	Brigadier general, Regular Army: July 16, 1920 (date of rank was July 3, 1920)
	Colonel, Regular Army: March 4, 1921 (reverted to permanent rank)
	Brigadier general, Regular Army: May 9, 1921 (date of rank was April 28, 1921)
	Major general, temporary: July 24, 1924
	Major general, Regular Army: March 21, 1926
	General, temporary: October 2, 1935
	General, retired list: August 31, 1939
	General, retired on active duty: September 26, 1941 (recalled to active duty)

^[13]

• Bell, William G. (2013). Commanding generals and chiefs of staff, 1775–2013 : portraits & biographical sketches of the United States Army's senior officer (PDF). Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History.
• Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. (1998). Generals in Khaki. Raleigh, North Carolina: Pentland Press. ISBN 1571970886. OCLC 40298151.
• Zabecki, David T.; Mastriano, Douglas V., eds. (2020). Pershing's Lieutenants: American Military Leadership in World War I. New York, NY: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-3863-6.
• Official Register of the United States Army. 1945. The Adjutant General. Washington, D.C. p. 1,135.

• "Craig, Malin". 1999. American National Biography. 5.

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• Generals of World War II