Adjutant General of Kentucky

{{Infobox official post

| post = Adjutant General

| body = the Commonwealth of Kentucky

| incumbent = Major General Haldane B. Lamberton

| image = Haldane B. Lamberton (3).jpg

| insignia = File:Seal of the Office of the Adjutant General of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.png

| insigniacaption = Seal of the Office of the Adjutant General of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

| flag = US Army Major General Flag (Medical).svg

| flagcaption = General officer flag

| insigniasize = 110px

| incumbentsince = {{Start date|2019|12|10}}

| appointer = Governor of Kentucky

| first = Percival Pierce Butler

| formation = 1793

| department = Kentucky National Guard

| seat = Frankfort, Kentucky

| termlength = Four years or end of appointing governor's term

| website =

}}

The Adjutant General of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of the Kentucky National Guard. Established in 1793, the adjutant general is appointed by the Governor of Kentucky to a term that expires alongside that of the appointing governor.

The current adjutant general is Major General Haldane B. Lamberton, who was appointed by Governor Andy Beshear on December 10, 2019.{{Cite web |title=Maj. Gen. Haldane (Hal) B. Lamberton, The Adjutant General - Kentucky Department of Military Affairs |url=https://www.dma.ky.gov/Leadership/Pages/default.aspx |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=www.dma.ky.gov}}

History

= Formation =

The first constitution of Kentucky, ratified in April 1792, named the Governor of Kentucky as commander-in-chief of the army, navy, and militia of the commonwealth and granted them the authority to appoint field and staff officers.

While the exact date is unknown, Governor Isaac Shelby appointed Percival Pierce Butler as Kentucky's first adjutant general. The first official act taken by General Pierce is recorded to have been in March 1793.

= Notable adjutants general and events =

In 1851, Governor John L. Helm appointed future Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan to the position at the age of 18 despite the fact that he had no prior experience serving in public office, and his only military experience was limited training for the Mexican–American War.{{Cite journal |last=Farelly |first=David G. |date=1957 |title=A Sketch of John Marshall Harlan's Pre-Court Career |url=https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4207&context=vlr |journal=Vanderbilt Law Review |volume=10 |issue=2}}

Samuel Ewing Hill, who served in the position from 1887 to 1891, is sometimes pointed to as the origin of the euphemism, "Sam Hill." General Hill was tasked by Governor Simon Bolivar Buckner to investigate the Hatfield-McCoy feud following a threat by West Virginia Governor Emanuel Willis Wilson to send the state militia across the Kentucky border to resolve the situation. From this, some newspapers began to question "what in the Sam Hill is going on," when reporting on the feud.{{cite web |title=What in Sam Hill ... started the Hatfield and McCoy Feud? |url=http://kynghistory.ky.gov/history/3qtr/addinfo/hatfieldmccoy.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604010759/http://kynghistory.ky.gov/history/3qtr/addinfo/hatfieldmccoy.htm |archive-date=4 June 2012 |access-date=3 June 2012 |publisher=Kentucky.gov}}

From February 3 to May 22, 1900, the office of adjutant general was contested as part of the wider disputes that resulted from the assignation of Governor William Goebel. General Daniel Collier –who was appointed by Governor William S. Taylor– and General John Breckinridge Castleman –appointed by Governor J. C. W. Beckham– each claimed the office. Following the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Taylor v. Beckham, Collier conceded the office to Castleman. Notably, both men had previously served as adjutant general in past administrations.

Beginning with the promotion of Adjutant General Roscoe L. Murray in 1950, all future adjutants general would automatically be commissioned as a major general.{{Cite news |date=November 8, 1987 |title=Former Official Murrary Dies |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/messenger-inquirer-obituary-for-roscoe-l/63783561/ |access-date=July 14, 2024 |work=Messenger-Inquirer |pages=25}}

Appointment and qualifications

Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 36, Section 020 stipulates each governor must appoint an adjutant general immediately upon taking office. For the appointee to be eligible for the position they must have:

Served at least 10 years in the Kentucky National Guard;
Have attained the rank of lieutenant colonel;
Have not been separated from the Kentucky National Guard for more than five years;
Meet the federal requirements for their current rank as well as the ranks of brigadier general and major general.{{Cite web |title=Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 36, Section 020 |url=https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=21424 |access-date=July 20, 2024 |website=Legislative Research Commission}}

List of adjutants general

class="wikitable"

!No.

!Portrait

!Name

!Term of office

!Governor(s) served

|File:Percival Butler.jpg

|Percival Pierce Butler{{Cite book |url=https://kynghistory.ky.gov/Media/Publications/DMA/dma_01_03_anl_rpt.pdf |title=Kentucky Department of Military Affairs - Combined Annual Reports Fiscal Years 2001-2003 |date=2003 |publisher=Kentucky Department of Military Affairs |location=Frankfort, Kentucky |pages=131–137}}

|1793 – 1817

|Isaac Shelby

----James Garrard

----Christopher Greenup

----Charles Scott

----Isaac Shelby

----George Madison

----Gabriel Slaughter

|File:Oliver G. Waggener.jpg

|Oliver G. Waggener

|1817 – 1828

|Gabriel Slaughter

----John Adair

----Joseph Desha

|Preston S. Loughborough

|1828 – 1829

|Joseph Desha

|Peter Dudley

|1829 – 1851

|Thomas Metcalf

----John Breathitt

----James T. Morehead

----James Clark

----Charles A. Wickliffe

----Robert P. Letcher

----William Owsley

----John J. Crittenden

----John L. Helm

|File:John Marshall Harlan-LC-DIG-cwpbh-03603.jpg

|John Marshall Harlan

|1851 – 1859

|John L. Helm

----Lazarus W. Powell

----Charles S. Morehead

|Scott Brown

|1859 – 1861

|Beriah Magoffin

|John William Finnell

|1861 – 1863

|Beriah Magoffin

----James F. Robinson

|File:John Boyle.png

|John Boyle

|1863 – 1864

|Thomas E. Bramlette

|File:Daniel W. Lindsey.png

|Daniel Weisiger Lindsey

|1864 – 1867

|Thomas E. Bramlette

|File:Frank Wolford.jpg

|Frank Lane Wolford

|1867 – 1870

|John W. Stevenson

|File:Josiah Stoddard Johnston.png

|Josiah Stoddard Johnston

|1870 – 1871

|John W. Stevenson

|File:James Allen Dawson.jpg

|James Allen Dawson

|1871 – 1875

|Preston H. Leslie

|File:John Montgomery Wright.jpg

|John Montgomery Wright

|1875 – 1879

|James B. McCreary

|File:Joseph Pryor Nuckols.jpg

|Joseph Preyer Nuckols

|1879 – 1883

|Luke P. Blackburn

|File:John-B.-Castleman.jpg

|John Breckenridge Castleman

|1883 – 1887

|J. Proctor Knott

|File:Samuel Ewing Hill.jpg

|Samuel Ewing Hill

|1887 – 1891

|Simon Bolivar Buckner

|Andrew Jackson Gross

|1891 – 1893

|John Y. Brown

|File:John Crepps Wickliffe.png

|John Crepps Wickliffe

|1893 – 1894

|John Y. Brown

|Andrew Jackson Gross

|1894 – 1895

|John Y. Brown

|File:Daniel Ray Collier.jpg

|Daniel Ray Collier{{Cite news |date=September 9, 1898 |title=Collier Resigns as Adjutant General - Wilbur R. Smith Appointed |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal/22661247/ |access-date=July 13, 2024 |work=The Courier-Journal |pages=3}}

|1895 – 1898

|William O'Connell Bradley

|File:Wilbur Rush Smith.png

|Wilbur Rush Smith

|1898{{Efn|Smith served from September 9 to November 1, 1898.}}

|William O' Connell Bradley

|File:Daniel Ray Collier.jpg

|Daniel Ray Collier{{Cite news |date=January 24, 1920 |title=General Dan Collier Dead |work=The Atlanta Constitution}}

|1898 – 1900{{Efn|Collier reappointed on November 1, 1898, by Governor Bradley and on December 13,1899, by Governor Taylor. Office was disputed between Collier and Castleman from February 3 to May 22, 1900.}}

|William O' Connell Bradley

----Williams S. Taylor

----William Goebel

----J. C. W. Beckham

|File:John-B.-Castleman.jpg

|John Breckenridge Castleman

|1900{{Efn|Castleman formally assumed uncontested office on May 22, 1900, following decision Taylor v. Beckham. He remained in office until November 30.}}

|William Goebel

----J. C. W. Beckham

|File:David R. Murray Jr.png

|David Rodman Murray Jr.

|1900 – 1903

|J. C. W. Beckham

|File:William Purcell "Percy" Dennis Haly.png

|William Purcell "Percy" Dennis Haly

|1903 – 1906

|J. C. W. Beckham

|File:Henry Robert Lawrence.jpg

|Henry Robert Lawrence{{Cite news |date=April 21, 1906 |title=Speaker Lawrence Becomes Adjutant General |work=Hopkinsville Kentuckian |pages=1}}

|1906 – 1907

|J. C. W. Beckham

|File:Philip Preston Johnston.png

|Philip Preston Johnston{{Cite web |title=Major P.P. Johnston, CSA |url=https://history.ky.gov/markers/major-pp-johnston-csa |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=KY Historical Society |language=}}

|1907 – 1912

|Augustus E. Wilson

|File:William Birch Haldeman circa 1915.jpg

|William Birch Haldeman{{Cite web |title=W.B. Haldeman |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/2014699819/ |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}

|1912 – 1914

|James B. McCreary

|File:James Tandy Ellis.jpg

|James Tandy Ellis{{Cite book |last=Trowbridge |first=John M. |url=https://kynghistory.ky.gov/Our-History/History-of-the-Guard/Documents/kyng_mex_border_service.pdf |title=Searching for Poncho: The Kentucky National Guard |publisher=Kentucky National Guard |location=Frankfort, Kentucky}}

|1914 – 1919

|Augustus O. Stanley

----James D. Black

|File:James Madison DeWeese.png

|James Madison DeWeese

|1919 – 1920

|Edwin P. Morrow

|File:Isaac Wilder.png

|Isaac Wilder

|1920

|Edwin P. Morrow

|File:Jackson Morris.jpg

|Jackson Morris

|1920 – 1923

|Edwin P. Morrow

|File:Henry Jouett.jpg

|Jouett Henry

|1923 – 1924

|William J. Fields

|File:James Arthur Kehoe.jpg

|James Arthur Kehoe{{Cite web |last=Trowbridge |first=John M. |date=November 2, 2020 |title=The Extraordinary Life of James Arthur Kehoe, Kentucky's 31st Adjutant General |url=https://ky.ng.mil/News/Article/2702655/the-extraordinary-life-of-james-arthur-kehoe-kentuckys-31st-adjutant-general/https%3A%2F%2Fky.ng.mil%2FNews%2FArticle%2F2702655%2Fthe-extraordinary-life-of-james-arthur-kehoe-kentuckys-31st-adjutant-general%2F |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=Kentucky National Guard |language=}}

|1924 – 1927

|William J. Fields

|File:William Henry Jones Jr.png

|William Henry Jones Jr.

|1927 – 1932

|Flem D. Sampson

----Ruby Laffoon

|File:HenryDenhardt.jpg

|Henry H. Denhardt

|1932 – 1935

|Ruby Laffoon

|File:George McClain.jpg

|George Lee McLain{{Cite news |date=December 7, 1939 |title=Successor Set for McClain - J. A. Polin to be Named Adjutant General |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer/76697050/ |access-date=July 14, 2024 |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |pages=1}}

|1935 – 1939

|Albert "Happy" Chandler

|File:John Arthur Polin.jpg

|John Arthur Polin

|1939 – 1944

|Keen Johnson

|File:Gustavus Herbert May.jpg

|Gustavus Herbert May{{Cite book |last1=Arrington |first1=Charles W. |url=https://kynghistory.ky.gov/Our-History/Major-Commands/Documents/BriefHistoryoftheKyANG_s.pdf |title=A Brief History of the Kentucky Air National Guard - Fortune Favors the Brave |last2=LeMay |first2=Jason M. |last3=Trowbridge |first3=John M. |date=April 2007 |publisher=Kentucky National Guard |location=Frankfort, Kentucky |pages=24}}

|1944 – 1947

|Simeon Willis

|File:Roscoe Lee Murray.png

|Roscoe Lee Murray

|1947 – 1951

|Earle C. Clements

----Lawrence W. Wetherby

|File:Jesse Scott Lindsey.jpg

|Jesse Scott Lindsey{{Cite news |date=March 1, 1992 |title=Former Adjutant General, Jesse Lindsay, Dies at 90 |work=Lexington Herald-Leader}}

|1951 – 1955

|Lawrence W. Wetherby

|File:John Jacob Bethurum Williams.png

|John Jacob Bethurum Williams

|1955 – 1959

|Albert "Happy" Chandler

|File:Arthur Young Lloyd.png

|Arthur Young Lloyd{{Cite journal |title=Two Units Pull State Duty Following Savage Tornado |url=https://kynghistory.ky.gov/Media/Publications/Guardsman/kgjul61.pdf |journal=The Kentucky Guardsman |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=1}}

|1959 – 1967

|Bert Combs

----Edward T. Breathitt

|File:Allan Kenneth Carrell.jpg

|Allan Kenneth Carrell{{Cite web |title=Obituary - William Pfingst Carrell |url=https://www.pearsonfuneralhome.com/obituaries/William-Carrell/albums/0 |access-date=July 14, 2024 |website=Pearson Funeral Home}}

|1967 – 1968

|Louie Nunn

|File:Larry Clark Dawson.jpg

|Larry Clark Dawson{{Cite book |last=Trowbridge |first=John M. |url=https://kynghistory.ky.gov/Our-History/Major-Commands/Documents/2138FAinVietnam.pdf |title=Kentucky Thunder in Vietnam: History of 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery in the Vietnam War: 1968 – 1969 |date=2010 |publisher=Kentucky National Guard |location=Frankfort, Kentucky |pages=130–132}}

|1968 – 1971

|Louie Nunn

|File:Richard L. Frymire Jr.jpg

|Richard L. Frymire Jr.{{Cite web |title=Richard L. Frymire, Jr., 1952 - Centre College 1998 Distinguished Alumni |url=https://alumni.centre.edu/s/285/bp20/interior.aspx?sid=285&gid=1&pgid=551 |access-date=July 14, 2024 |website=Centre College}}

|1971 – 1977

|Wendell Ford

----Julian Carroll

|File:Billy Gene Wellman.jpg

|Billy Gene Wellman{{Cite web |title=Kentucky National Guard mourns death of retired Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Billy Wellman. |url=https://ky.ng.mil/News/Article/2615675/kentucky-national-guard-mourns-death-of-retired-adjutant-general-maj-gen-billy/https%3A%2F%2Fky.ng.mil%2FNews%2FArticle%2F2615675%2Fkentucky-national-guard-mourns-death-of-retired-adjutant-general-maj-gen-billy%2F |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=Kentucky Guard |language=en-US}}

|1977 – 1987

|Julian Carroll

----John Y. Brown Jr.

----Martha Layne Collins

|File:Michael Walker Davidson.jpg

|Michael Walker Davidson{{Cite web |title=Brigadier General Michael W. Davidson |url=https://kynghistory.ky.gov/Our-History/Our-People/Documents/davidson_michael_w_bio_dec_88.pdf |website=National Guard Bureau}}

|1987 – 1991

|Wallace G. Wilkinson

|File:Tebbs Shewmaker Moore.jpg

|Tebbs Shewmaker Moore{{Cite web |last=Advocate-Messenger |date=2020-08-12 |title=Tebbs S. Moore |url=https://www.amnews.com/2020/08/12/tebbs-s-moore/ |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=The Advocate-Messenger |language=en}}

|1991

|Wallace G. Wilkinson

|File:Robert Louis DeZarn.jpg

|Robert Louis DeZarn{{Cite web |date=May 28, 2009 |title=Obituary - Robert Louis DeZarn |url=https://www.friendfuneralhomes.com/obituary/Robert-DeZarn |access-date=July 13, 2024 |website=Fox Funeral Home}}

|1991 – 1995

|Brerton C. Jones

|File:John Russell Groves Jr.jpg

|John Russell Groves Jr.{{Cite web |title=Major General John R. Groves, Jr. |url=https://www.nationalguard.mil/portals/31/Features/ngbgomo/bio/2/212.html |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=www.nationalguard.mil}}

|1995 – 2001

|Paul Patton

|File:Dean Allen Youngman.jpg

|Dean Allen Youngman

|2001 – 2003

|Paul Patton

|File:Donald C. Storm.jpg

|Donald C. Storm{{Cite web |title=Major General Donald C. Storm |url=https://www.nationalguard.mil/portals/31/Features/ngbgomo/bio/1/1404.html |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=www.nationalguard.mil}}

|2003 – 2007

|Ernie Fletcher

|File:Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini, Adjutant General, Kentucky (10158144286).jpg

|Edward W. Tonini{{Cite web |title=Major General Edward W. Tonini |url=https://www.nationalguard.mil/portals/31/Features/ngbgomo/bio/1/11.html |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=www.nationalguard.mil}}

|2007 – 2015

|Steve Beshear

|File:Stephen R. Hogan (3).jpg

|Stephen R. Hogan{{Cite web |title=Major General Stephen R. Hogan |url=https://www.nationalguard.mil/portals/31/Features/ngbgomo/bio/2/2294.html |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=www.nationalguard.mil}}

|2015 – 2019

|Matt Bevin

|File:Haldane B. Lamberton (3).jpg

|Haldane B. Lamberton{{Cite web |title=Major General Haldane B. Lamberton |url=https://www.nationalguard.mil/portals/31/Features/ngbgomo/bio/3/3360.html |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=www.nationalguard.mil}}

|2019 – Present

|Andy Beshear

References

Notes

Category:Kentucky National Guard