William Murray Black facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Black
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William Murray Black as colonel, circa 1915
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| Born | December 8, 1855 Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
| Died | September 24, 1933 (aged 77) Washington, D.C. |
| Place of burial |
West Point Cemetery, West Point, New York
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| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |
 United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| Years of service | 1877–1919 |
| Rank |  Major General |
| Commands held | Chief of Engineers |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal |
William Murray Black (December 8, 1855 – September 24, 1933) was an important officer in the United States Army. He was known for being great at organizing and training young engineers. He helped lead the Army's engineering efforts during World War I.
Biography
Early Life and Education
William Black was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He went to the United States Military Academy at West Point, which is a famous school for future army officers. He was very smart and graduated first in his class in 1877! After graduating, he joined the Army's Corps of Engineers. This group of soldiers works on building projects and other engineering tasks for the military.
Important Projects
From 1886 to 1891, Black led the Army's engineering work in the Jacksonville, Florida area. Later, in 1897-1898, he helped manage the District of Columbia (where Washington, D.C. is located) as an Engineer Commissioner.
During the Spanish–American War, he was the main engineer for two large army groups. After the war, he worked in Cuba. He helped modernize the water and sewer system in Havana, the capital city. He did this as the Chief Engineer for Generals William Ludlow and Leonard Wood from 1899 to 1901. Six years later, he returned to Cuba as an advisor to their public works department.
Leading Engineers
From 1901 to 1903, Black was the leader of the U.S. Army Engineer School. He moved the school from New York to Washington, D.C. This school trains army engineers.
After returning from Cuba in 1909, he became the Northeast Division Engineer. He also led a team that worked to raise the battleship USS Maine.
General Black was very dedicated to training young engineer officers for war. His biggest job came during World War I. As the Chief of Engineers, he was in charge of getting about 300,000 engineer troops ready. They had to do many different military engineering jobs. For all his hard work, he received the Army Distinguished Service Medal. This medal is given for especially good service to the United States government.
He retired from the Army on October 31, 1919. William Black passed away in Washington, D.C. on September 24, 1933. He is buried at West Point Cemetery.
Legacy
Two ships were named in honor of William M. Black. One was the USS General W. M. Black (AP-135), which was launched in July 1943. The other was a special type of ship called a dustpan dredge, named the William M. Black.
