Percy Poe Bishop

Percy Poe Bishop
Brigadier General Percy P. Bishop in 1919
Born	(1877-05-27)May 27, 1877 Powell, Tennessee
Died	April 8, 1967(1967-04-08) (aged 89) Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1898-1941
Rank	Major General
Service number	0-655
Unit	United States Army Coast Artillery Corps
Commands	Seventh Corps Area
Battles / wars	Spanish–American War World War I
Awards	Army Distinguished Service Medal

Percy Poe Bishop (May 27, 1877 – April 8, 1967) was an American major general active during World War I.

Early life

Bishop was born in Powell, Tennessee. In 1898, he graduated from the University of Tennessee with a B.S. and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 4th Field Artillery Regiment on July 9 of that year.

Career

Closeup of Bishop's 1923 passport photo.

He was an honor graduate of the Artillery School in 1902 and an instructor there through 1903. He served as assistant to the Chief of Coast Artillery from 1907 to 1911. From 1914 to 1917, Bishop was assistant to the Chief of Coast Artillery, and was transferred to the General Staff Corps on October 16, 1917 when he became assistant to the secretary of the General Staff. On February 6, 1918 he was promoted to colonel. On March 21, 1918, he became secretary of the General staff. He was promoted to brigadier general on October 1, 1918 and held the rank until November 1, 1919, when he reverted to his peacetime rank. From September 1918 to October 1921, he was chief of the Personnel Branch of the General Staff. In 1926, he graduated from the Army War College. He became a brigadier general in 1934 and a major general in 1938. Bishop retired in 1941.

He belonged to both the Army and Navy Club, the Chevy Chase Club, and the Omaha Club.

Awards

Bishop was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his performance of duty as secretary of the General Staff. The citation for his medal reads:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Brigadier General Percy Poe Bishop, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I, as Secretary of the General Staff and in the organization and coordination of matters relating to the commissioned personnel of the Army.

Death and legacy

Percy Poe Bishop died at the age of eighty-nine on April 8, 1967.

References

Bibliography

• Davis, Henry Blaine Jr. Generals in Khaki. Raleigh, NC: Pentland Press, 1998. ISBN 1571970886 OCLC 231779136
• Marquis Who's Who, Inc. Who Was Who in American History, the Military. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. ISBN 0837932017 OCLC 657162692
• "Valor Awards for Percy Poe Bishop." Valor Awards for Percy Poe Bishop. Military Times, n.d. Web. 18 Aug. 2016. <http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=17272>.