Billy Mitchell (general)

William L. "Billy" Mitchell
Brigadier General William L. Mitchell, United States Army Air Service
Born	(1879-12-29)December 29, 1879 Nice, France
Died	February 19, 1936(1936-02-19) (aged 56) New York City, New York
Buried at	Forest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1898–1926
Rank	Major General (posthumous)
Commands held	Air Service, Third Army – AEF
Battles/wars	Spanish–American War World War I Battle of Saint-Mihiel
Awards	Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal World War I Victory Medal Congressional Gold Medal (posthumous)

Spanish–American War
World War I

William Lendrum "Billy" Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army general who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force.

Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, commanded all American air combat units in that country. After the war, he was appointed deputy director of the Air Service and began advocating increased investment in air power, believing that this would prove vital in future wars. He argued particularly for the ability of bombers to sink battleships and organized a series of bombing runs against stationary ships designed to test the idea.

He antagonized many administrative leaders of the Army with his arguments and criticism and, in 1925, was returned from appointment as a brigadier general to his permanent rank of colonel due to his insubordination. Later that year, he was court-martialed for insubordination after accusing Army and Navy leaders of an "almost treasonable administration of the national defense" for investing in battleships instead of aircraft carriers. He resigned from the service shortly afterward.

Mitchell received many honors following his death, including a commission by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a major general. He is also the only individual for whom an American military aircraft design, the North American B-25 Mitchell, is named.

Born in Nice, France, to John L. Mitchell, a wealthy Wisconsin senator and his wife Harriet. Mitchell grew up on an estate in what is now the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, Wisconsin. His grandfather Alexander Mitchell, a Scotsman, was the wealthiest man in Wisconsin for his generation and established what became the Milwaukee Road railroad and the Marine Bank of Wisconsin. Mitchell Park and the shopping precinct of Mitchell Street were named in honor of Alexander. Mitchell's sister Ruth fought with the Chetniks in Yugoslavia during World War II and later wrote a book about her brother, My Brother Bill.