Kenneth Claiborne Royall
| Kenneth C. Royall | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 56th United States Secretary of War | |
|
In office July 19, 1947 – September 18, 1947 |
|
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Robert P. Patterson |
| Succeeded by | Position Abolished |
| 1st United States Secretary of the Army | |
|
In office September 18, 1947 – April 27, 1949 |
|
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Gray |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 24, 1894 Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | May 25, 1971 (aged 76) Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Resting place | Willow Dale Cemetery in Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Pierce Best Royall (b. 1899 - d. 1993) |
| Children |
Kenneth Claiborne Royall, Jr. Margaret Ann Royall George Pender Royall |
| Alma mater |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Harvard Law School |
| Profession | Government |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1921, 1942–1945 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
Kenneth Claiborne Royall, Sr. (July 24, 1894 – May 25, 1971) was a United States Army general and the last person to hold the office of Secretary of War. That position was abolished in 1947, and Royall served as the first Secretary of the Army (the successor position) from 1947 to 1949.
Royall was born on July 24, 1894, in Goldsboro, North Carolina, the son of Clara Howard Jones and George Pender Royall. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, and Harvard Law School before serving in World War I. He then practiced law and was elected to the North Carolina Senate as a Democrat. At the beginning of World War II, he became a colonel in the U.S. Army.
On August 18, 1917, Royall was married to the former Margaret Pierce Best, with whom he had two sons and one daughter, Kenneth Claiborne, Jr., Margaret and George Pender Royall.
According to a 2006 newspaper column by Jack Betts, "When eight Nazis bent on mayhem came ashore on Long Island in 1942, they were soon caught and ordered to stand trial in a secret military tribunal. President Roosevelt appointed Royall to defend them, but the president didn't want any foolishness. He wanted the Nazis executed, the sooner the better. Royall's orders were to stay away from civilian courts. Royall wrote Roosevelt that he didn't think the president had authority to convene a secret court to try his clients, and asked the president to change his order. Roosevelt refused—whereupon Royall appealed to the U.S. District Court, arguing the secret tribunal was unconstitutional.
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