John R. Deane, Jr.

Who was John R. Deane, Jr.?

John Russell Deane, Jr. was a United States Army general and served as commander of the United States Army Materiel Command.

Deane was born in San Francisco, California. In 1937, he enlisted in the 16th Infantry. After one year, he entered the United States Military Academy. Upon graduation from the academy in 1942, he joined the 104th Infantry Division as a platoon leader and, by the end of the war, he had become a battalion commander.

He held the position of Intelligence Officer in Europe from 1945 to 1947 and then returned to Washington, D.C. to work in the Joint War Plans Division, HQDA.

In 1951, he became Executive Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. From this post, he went to the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, in 1952. Upon graduation, he served as Chief of Plans in the Military Armistice Commission until 1954.

Returning to the U.S. in late 1954, he attended the Armed Forces Staff College. Upon graduation, he became Chief of Programs and Budget in the Office of the Chief, Research and Development, HQDA.

From 1958–1959, he attended the National War College. He then became Assistant to the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Europe, Heidelberg, Germany.