Thomas Holcomb

Thomas Holcomb
17th Commandant of the Marine Corps (1936–1943)
Born	(1879-08-05)August 5, 1879 New Castle, Delaware, U.S.
Died	May 24, 1965(1965-05-24) (aged 85) New Castle, Delaware, U.S.
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	Marine Corps
Years of service	1900–1944
Rank	General
Commands held	2nd Battalion 6th Marines Marine Corps Schools Commandant of the Marine Corps
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Navy Cross Navy Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star (4) Purple Heart Legion of Honor Croix de Guerre
Relations	BGen Bankson T. Holcomb Jr. (cousin)
Other work	Minister to South Africa

General Thomas Holcomb (August 5, 1879 – May 24, 1965) was a United States Marine Corps officer who served as the seventeenth Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1936 to 1943. He was the first Marine to achieve the rank of general, and was a strong supporter of racial segregation in the Marine Corps. After retiring from the Marine Corps, Holcomb served as the U.S. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to South Africa from 1944 to 1948.^[1] One of his ancestors was Joshua Barney, a naval hero of the War of 1812.^[2]