John H. Russell, Jr. 16th USMC Commandant-- Part 3

Then, he was at Marine Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and then back to Haiti where he first commanded Marines, but then became American High Commissioner in that country from 1922  to 1930.

Returning to the States, he was the commander of the Marine Base at San Diego and then Marine Barracks in Quantico, Virginia, and in February 1933 he was made the Assistant Commandant USMC  On March 1, 1934, he was appointed 16th Commandant of the Marine Corps and held that position until he retired on December 1, 1936.

During his tenure as Commandant, Russell changed the old system of promotion from seniority to  advancement by selection and withdrew the 1st Marine Brigade from Haiti.  Also, the Fleet Marine Force assumed new responsibilities; the Marine Reserves were given more attention and the number of ships carrying Marine detachments increased.

Major General Russell retired after 42 years of commissioned service and continued afterwards as a military journalist.  He died in Coronado, Colorado, on March 6, 1947, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

He was a hereditary member of the Military  Order of the Loyal Legion in succession to his father who was a Union Navy officer during the Civil War.

--Cooter

John H. Russell, Jr., 16th USMC Commandant-- Part 2: Service All Over

Next, Russell had duty at Guam and several navy yards back in the United States.  Then Hawaii and the Panama Canal Zone.  From 1908 to 1910, he was at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

Then, from 1910 to 1913, he was at the American  Legation in Peking, China.  During this time there were disturbances in China as the country moved from an empire to a republic.  Upon returning to the U.., her was assigned to the Office of Naval Intelligence until 1917 with the exception of eight months commanding a Marine group at Vera Cruz, Mexico, in 1914.

From 1917 to 1918 he had several commands in Latin America.  During this time he made repeated requests to transfer to France for service in the war.  He finally got his wish, but delays in relieving him caused him to be able to do so until the Armistice was signed.

--Cooter

John H. Russell, Jr., 16th Commandant USMC-- Part 1: Son of Navy Mexican and Civil War Officer

From Wikipedia.

Earlier this month, I was writing about the USS Russell (DDG-59) which was the November featured U.S. warship in the 2021 Paralyzed Veterans of America calendar.

This ship was named after John H. Russell, Sr. and John H. Russell, Jr..  John H. Russell, Sr. was a U.S. Navy officer in the Mexican War and Civil War.  I wrote about him in my Running the Blockade:  Civil War Navy blog thus month.

John Jr., followed his father into military service, only with the U.S. Marines.

Born November 14, 1872.  Died March 6, 1947.

He was born at Mare Island, California, and the son of Rear Admiral John Henry Russell (1827-1897) and appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy by President Grover Cleveland in May 1888.  Graduated in June 1892, spent two years at sea, passed his final examinations and transferred to the USMC as a second lieutenant  on July 1, 1894.

In 1896, he joined the USS Massachusetts of the North Atlantic Squadron and served on that ship until after the end of the Spanish-American War.  The Massachusetts operated in waters off Cuba and Puerto Rico during the conflict, but was not at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.

--Cooter