William Pendleton Thompson Hill

Major General William Pendleton Thompson Hill, US Marine Corps, was born on 22 February 1895 in Vinita, Indian Territory, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. He graduated from the Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois, and from the University of Oklahoma in 1917 with a degree in Geology. Hill reported for active duty as a Second Lieutenant on 12 June 1917 and became one of the first USMC Naval Aviators. In 1929 Hill was assigned to the Marine Quartermaster department.

A published history of the Marine Corps states: “The classic representative of the Quartermaster’s tradition of fierce frugality was William P.T. Hill (1895–1965), from Oklahoma. Native American, World War I aviator, competent geologist, world authority on coral, Gobi Desert explorer, and anthropologist …, he served as Quartermaster General from 1944 to 1955. He rose to be a Major General, insisting on the occasion of each promotion that he be administered the oath of office on his Indian Bible.”

In 1943, Hill was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his leadership in establishing and developing the Marine Corps base at Camp Lejeune, NC. He then served as Quartermaster General of the US Marine Corps for eleven years. Here is an example of Hill's "fierce frugality": In 1954 the CIA asked for the Marines’ “excess and obsolete” Springfield rifles. Hill responded in the true tradition of Archibald Henderson: “If we have the rifles, they're not excess, and if they will shoot, they're not obsolete. Try the Army. They'll give anything away.” And that ended it.

During his distinguished 37-year career, Hill demonstrated dynamic leadership skills in a series of unique and critical assignments during a tumultuous time in the history of our Nation and the world. MG William P.T. Hill retired in 1955 and died on 6 December 1965. He rests at Arlington National Cemetery.