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Cates earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee in 1916. He received a direct commission as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in June 1917 and went to France with 6 Marine Regiment. He fought with distinction at Belleau Wood, at Saint-Mihiel, and in the Meuse-Argonne offensive, being gassed and wounded. Something of a daredevil, he burst into laughter when his pants were blasted off by a shell at Aisne-Marne. He subsequently served as aide to Woodrow Wilson and was twice stationed at Shanghai. He was a graduate of the Army Industrial College, the Marine Corps School, and the Army War College.
The outbreak of war found Cates a colonel serving as director of the Marine Officers Basic School. Given command of 1 Marine Regiment, 1 Marine Division in May 1925, he led his unit into combat in the Guadalcanal campaign, and in 1943 he was promoted to brigadier general and command of the Marine Corps School. In mid-1944 he was promoted to major general and command of 4 Marine Division, which fought at Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima.
Cates served as commander of Quantico in 1946 and as Commandant of the Corps, the highest Marine commander, in 1952-1954. Few Marine officers had as much experience under fire. Cates had commanded a platoon, company, battalion, regiment, and division in combat. As Commandant of the Corps, Cates worked for passage of a law fixing the postwar Marine strength at three divisions and three air wings, and he helped pioneer the use of helicopters and the development of the doctrine of vertical envelopment.
Cates was "a leader of invincible aplomb" (Leckie 1962) but was realistic about the hazards of the landing at Iwo Jima:
You know, if I knew the name of the man on the extreme right of the right-hand squad of the right-hand company of the right-hand battalion, I'd recommend him for a medal before we go in.
| 1893-8-31
|
Born at Tiptonville, Tennessee |
|
| 1916 |
Bachelor of Laws, University of
Tennessee |
|
| 1917-6-13
|
Second
lieutenant |
6
Marine Regiment, France |
| 1919-9 |
First lieutenant |
Aide-de-camp, Commandant of the
Corps |
| 1920-10 |
Aide-de-camp, Commander,
Department of the Pacific |
|
| 1923-6 |
Commander, Marine Detachment, California |
|
| 1925-5 |
4
Marine Regiment, San Diego |
|
| 1928-3 |
Captain |
American Battle Monuments
Commission, Washington |
| 1929-5 |
4
Marine Regiment, Shanghai |
|
| 1932 |
Army Industrial College |
|
| 1933-6 |
Major |
7
Marines; Senior Course, Marine
Corps Schools |
| 1935-9 |
War Plans Section |
|
| 1937-8 |
Lieutenant colonel |
6 Marine Regiment, Shanghai |
| 1938-3 |
4 Marine Regiment, Shanghai | |
| 1939 |
Army War College |
|
| 1940-7 |
Director, Marine Officers Basic
School, Philadelphia |
|
| 1941 |
Colonel |
|
| 1942-5 |
Commander, 1
Marine Regiment |
|
| 1943-3 |
Brigadier general |
Commandant, Marine Corps School,
Quantico |
| 1944-7-12
|
Major general |
Commander, 4
Marine Division |
| 1945-12 |
President, Marine Corps
Equipment Board |
|
| 1946-5 |
Commander, Marine Barracks,
Quantico |
|
| 1948-1-1 |
General
(temporary) |
Commandant of the Corps |
| 1952 |
Lieutenant general |
Commandant, Marine Corps School, Quantico |
| 1954-6-30 |
General |
Retires |
| 1970-6-4 |
Dies at Navy Hospital, Annapolis |
References
Arlington National Cemetary Website (accessed 2008-1-28)
U.S. Marine Corps Historical Division (accessed 2008-1-28)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007-2009, 2011 by Kent G. Budge. Index
