{{Short description|United States Army lieutenant general}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}} {{Infobox military person |name= Lemuel Mathewson |image= Lemuel Matthewson.jpg |image_size= |alt= |caption= General Mathewson in Berlin {{circa}} 1951 |nickname= |birth_date= {{birth date|1899|03|29}} |birth_place= Bath, New York, U.S. |death_date= {{death date and age|1970|02|26|1899|03|29}} |death_place= Walter Reed Army Hospital, Washington, D.C., U.S. |burial_place= West Point Cemetery |allegiance= United States |branch= United States Army |service_years= 1918–1958 |rank= Lieutenant General |service_number= |unit= |commands= Sixth United States Army<br/>V Corps<br/>United States Communications Zone, Orléans, France<br/>United States Berlin Command<br/>11th Airborne Division Artillery<br/>XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery |battles= World War II |awards= Army Distinguished Service Medal<br/>Legion of Merit (3)<br/>Bronze Star Medal<br>Order of Alexander Nevsky (USSR) |relations= |other_work= Chairman, Inter-American Defense Board }} '''Lemuel Mathewson''' (March 29, 1899 – February 26, 1970) was a United States Army lieutenant general.
==Early career== thumb|left|150px|At West Point in 1922
Mathewson was born in Bath, New York on March 29, 1899.<ref>Current Biography, published by H.W. Wilson Company, Volume 13, 1952, page 33</ref> A 1917 graduate of Bath's Haverling High School,<ref>[http://www.paintedhills.org/STEUBEN/BathAreaHighSchoolGrads/BathAreaHighSchoolGradsM.html Steuben County History web site, Bath Area High School Graduates page]</ref> he graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1922 and was commissioned as an artillery officer.<ref>''Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy'', published by the Association of Graduates, 1930, page 1704</ref>
In the 1920s and 1930s, Mathewson served in a variety of assignments in the United States and overseas, including graduate student in Madrid, Spain, professor of Spanish at the United States Military Academy, instructor at the Fort Sill, Oklahoma Field Artillery School, and special projects officer in Latin America.<ref>Roster of Officers and Troops, United States Military Academy, 1932, page 5</ref><ref>Current Biography, published by H.W. Wilson Company</ref><ref>''Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy'', 1930</ref><ref>''A Soldier Reports'', by General William Childs Westmoreland, 1976, Volume 1, page 14</ref>
From 1938 to 1939, Mathewson attended the Command and General Staff College.<ref>[https://sill-www.army.mil/FAMAG/1937/NOV_DEC_1937/NOV_DEC_1937_PAGES_455_456.pdf "Recommendations for Leavenworth and the War College"], Lieutenant Colonel F.A. Doniat, ''The Field Artillery Journal'', November–December, 1937, page 456</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/officialarmyregi19571unit ''U.S. Army Register'', published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1957, page 548]</ref>
==World War II== * 1943 to 1944 – Mathewson served as Aide to President Franklin D. Roosevelt,<ref>''Annual Proceedings of the Legislature of Steuben County'', published by Steuben County (N.Y.) Legislature, 2005, page 71</ref> and was with him during conferences in Cairo and Tehran.<ref>The Conferences at Cairo and Tehran, 1943, U.S. Department of State Historical Office, 1961, page xxxv</ref> * 1944 – Mathewson was appointed assistant commander of VII Corps Artillery.<ref>Army Information Digest, published by U.S. Armed Forces Information School, 1946, page 2</ref> * 1944 to 1945 – Mathewson was then assigned to command XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery.<ref>''Ridgway's Paratroopers: the American Airborne in World War II'', Clay Blair, 1985, page 483</ref>
==Post World War II== * 1945 to 1948 – Mathewson was Chief of Staff for the Caribbean Defense Command.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1945/09/01/archives/caribbean-command-shifts.html "Caribbean Command Shifts"], ''The New York Times'', September 1, 1945 {{Subscription required}}</ref> * 1948 to 1949 – Mathewson was coordinator for the Inter-American Defense Board.<ref>''Assembly'', published by the West Point Alumni Association, 1949, volumes 8 to 9, page 22</ref> * 1949 to 1951 – He became commander of the 11th Airborne Division Artillery.<ref>''The Angels: a History of the 11th Airborne Division'', E.M. Flanagan, 1989, page 397</ref> * 1951 to 1953 – Mathewson served as commander of the U.S. Berlin Command.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_C4xAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LgAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2330,5289972&dq=lemuel-mathewson&hl=en "U.S. Reinforces Berlin Garrison"], ''Toledo Blade'', January 15, 1951</ref><ref>[http://www.berlin-brigade.de/aut-hist/brigade-e.html Web page, History of the Berlin Brigade] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120720131457/http://www.berlin-brigade.de/aut-hist/brigade-e.html |date=2012-07-20 }}</ref><ref>[https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0917FC355E177B93C7AB1789D95F468585F9 "U.S. Will Relieve its Berlin Chief"], ''The New York Times'', December 25, 1952 {{Subscription required}}</ref> * 1953 to 1954 – Mathewson commanded the U.S. Communications Zone in Orléans, France.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114696228/to-take-over-post/ |title=To Take Over Post |newspaper=Edwardsville Intelligencer |agency=United Press International |location=Heidelberg, Germany |page=2 |date=December 26, 1952 |access-date=2022-12-15 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
==Later career== * 1954 to 1955 – Mathewson served as Director of the Joint Staff for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114696312/2-generals-nominated-by-ike-for/ |title=2 Generals Nominated by Ike for Promotions |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |location=Washington |agency=AP |page=5 |date=March 17, 1954 |access-date=2022-12-15 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>''Notable Names in American History: a Tabulated Register'', 1973, page 399</ref> * 1956 to 1957 – Mathewson was commander of the U.S. V Corps.<ref>[http://www.vcorps.army.mil/leaders/ U.S. Army V Corps web site, leaders page] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011201044/http://www.vcorps.army.mil/leaders/ |date=2010-10-11 }}</ref> * 1957 to 1958 – Mathewson served as commander of the U.S. Sixth Army and went into retirement.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1958/01/16/archives/6th-army-chief-to-retire.html "6th Army Chief to Retire"], ''The New York Times'', January 16, 1958 {{Subscription required}}</ref> In 1957 he was assigned as military aide to Queen Elizabeth II during her tour of the United States.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1957/10/12/archives/elizabeth-on-way-to-canada-by-air-farwell-dinner-in-london-earl-of.html "Elizabeth on Way to Canada by Air"], ''The New York Times'', October 12, 1957 {{Subscription required}}</ref>
==Awards and decorations== Mathewson's awards included the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star Medal<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/officialarmyregi19601unit#page/1284/mode/2up ''Official Army Register'', published by U.S. Army Adjutant General, 1960, page 1284]</ref> and the Order of Alexander Nevsky from the Soviet Union.<ref>{{citation |last=Empric |first=Bruce E. |title=Uncommon Allies: U.S. Army Recipients of Soviet Military Decorations in World War II |publisher=Teufelsberg Press |page=90 |year=2024 |isbn=979-8-3444-6807-5}}</ref>
==Later work== Mathewson served as Chairman of the Inter-American Defense Board from 1958 to 1961.<ref>U.S. Government Manual, 1960, page 574</ref><ref>Annual Report, Organization of American States, 1961, page 11</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114696402/gen-mathewson-gets-defense-post/ |title=Gen. Mathewson Gets Defense Post |newspaper=Hartford Courant |location=Gettysburg, Pennsylvania |agency=AP |page=22 |date=August 18, 1959 |access-date=2022-12-15 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
==Retirement and death== After retiring from the IADB Mathewson resided in McLean, Virginia. He died at Walter Reed Army Hospital on February 26, 1970.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1970/03/01/archives/gen-mathewson-artilleryman-70-commander-in-berlin-from-1951-to-1953.html "Gen. Mathewson, Artilleryman, 70; Commander in Berlin From 1951 to 1953 Is Dead"], ''The New York Times'', March 1, 1970</ref> General Mathewson was buried in Section III Site A-24 of the West Point Cemetery.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGL_v1 |title=U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Nationwide Grave Site Locator |access-date=February 17, 2010 |archive-date=April 14, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040414023734/http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGL_v1 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== *[https://generals.dk/general/Mathewson/Lemuel/USA.html Generals of World War II]
{{S-start}} {{S-mil}} {{Succession box | title=Commanding General of the Sixth United States Army | before=Robert N. Young | years=1957–1958 | after=Charles D. Palmer }} {{S-end}}
{{Commandants of Berlin Sectors}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathewson, Lemuel}} Category:1899 births Category:United States Army generals Category:United States Military Academy alumni Category:United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit Category:People from Bath, New York Category:Military personnel from McLean, Virginia Category:1970 deaths Category:Burials at West Point Cemetery Category:Military personnel from New York (state) Category:United States Military Academy faculty Category:United States Army generals of World War II