Judge Advocate General of the United States Army

Judge Advocate General of the United States Army
Judge Advocate General of the United States Army
	Insignia of the Army JAG Corps
	Flag of the JAG
	Incumbent; LTG Stuart W. Risch; since July 12, 2021
	Judge Advocate General's Corps
Abbreviation	TJAG
Nominator	Secretary of the Army
Appointer	President of the United States; with the advice and consent of the Senate
Term length	4 years
Formation	July 29, 1775
First holder	LTC William Tudor
Deputy	Deputy Judge Advocate General
Website	Official Website

The Judge Advocate General of the United States Army (TJAG) is the senior officer of the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the United States Army. Under Title 10 of the United States Code, the TJAG is appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate. Suitable candidates are recommended by the Secretary of the Army. By statute, TJAG serves a four-year term as the legal adviser of the Secretary of the Army and of all officers and agencies of the Department of the Army; directs the members of the Judge Advocate General's Corps in the performance of their duties; and receives, revises, and has recorded the proceedings of courts of inquiry and military commissions 10 U.S.C. § 7037.

Creation

The position of Judge Advocate General was the brainchild and creation of General George Washington. In a letter to the Continental Congress he wrote, "I would humbly propose that some provision should be made for a judge advocate, and provost-marshal. The necessity of the first appointment was so great that I was obliged to nominate a Mr. Tudor, who was well recommended to me, and now executes the office under an expectation of receiving captain's pay—an allowance (in my opinion) scarcely adequate to the service, in new raised troops, where there are court-martials [sic] every day."^[1] Congress agreed with Washington and Tudor was formally commissioned as a lieutenant colonel.^[2]

U.S. Army Judge Advocates General

No.	Name	Term began	Term ended
1.	LTC William Tudor	July 29, 1775	April 9, 1777
2.	COL John Laurance	April 10, 1777	June 3, 1782
3.	COL Thomas Edwards	October 2, 1782	November 3, 1783
Position abolished on November 3, 1783
4.	CPT Campbell Smith	July 16, 1794	June 1, 1802
Position abolished on June 1, 1802
5.	Bvt. MAJ John F. Lee	March 2, 1849	September 3, 1862
6.	Bvt. BG Joseph Holt	September 3, 1862	December 1, 1875
7.	BG William M. Dunn	December 1, 1875	January 22, 1881
8.	BG David G. Swaim	February 18, 1881	December 22, 1894
9.	BG Guido Norman Lieber	January 3, 1895	May 21, 1901
10.	BG Thomas F. Barr	May 21, 1901	May 22, 1901
11.	BG John W. Clous	May 22, 1901	May 24, 1901
12.	MG George B. Davis	May 24, 1901	February 14, 1911
13.	MG Enoch H. Crowder	February 15, 1911	February 14, 1923
14.	MG Walter A. Bethel	February 15, 1923	November 15, 1924
15.	MG John A. Hull	November 16, 1924	November 15, 1928
16.	MG Albert A. Kreger	November 16, 1928	February 28, 1931
17.	MG Blanton C. Winship	March 1, 1931	November 30, 1933
18.	MG Arthur W. Brown	December 1, 1933	November 30, 1937
19.	MG Allen W. Gullion	December 1, 1937	November 30, 1941
20.	MG Myron C. Cramer	December 1, 1941	November 30, 1945
21.	MG Thomas H. Green	December 1, 1945	November 30, 1949
22.	MG Ernest M. Brannon	January 27, 1950	January 27, 1954
23.	MG Eugene M. Caffey	February 5, 1954	December 31, 1956
24.	MG George W. Hickman, Jr.	January 1, 1957	December 31, 1960
25.	MG Charles L. Decker	January 1, 1961	December 31, 1963
26.	MG Robert H. McCaw	January 1, 1964	June 30, 1967
27.	MG Kenneth J. Hodson	July 1, 1967	June 30, 1971
28.	MG George S. Prugh	July 1, 1971	June 30, 1975
29.	MG Wilton B. Persons, Jr.	July 1, 1975	June 30, 1979
30.	MG Alton H. Harvey	July 1, 1979	July 31, 1981
31.	MG Hugh J. Clausen	August 1, 1981	July 31, 1985
32.	MG Hugh R. Overholt	August 1, 1985	July 31, 1989
(Acting)	MG William K. Suter	August 1, 1989	February 1, 1991
33.	MG John L. Fugh	July 26, 1991	September 30, 1993
34.	MG Michael J. Nardotti, Jr.	October 1, 1993	August 4, 1997
35.	MG Walter B. Huffman	August 5, 1997	September 30, 2001
36.	MG Thomas J. Romig	October 1, 2001	September 30, 2005
37.	LTG Scott C. Black	October 1, 2005	October 1, 2009
38.	LTG Dana K. Chipman	October 1, 2009	September 3, 2013
39.	LTG Flora D. Darpino	September 4, 2013	July 14, 2017
40.	LTG Charles N. Pede	July 14, 2017	July 9, 2021^[3]
41.	LTG Stuart W. Risch	July 12, 2021	Present

References

^ Washington, George. Official Letters to the Honorable American Congress, Written During the War Between the United Colonies and Great Britain by his Excellency George Washington.. Page 13. Retrieved from Google Books. [1].
^ Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789. page 645. (pdf page: 237).
^ "The United States Army Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps".