Commandants of the Marine Corps

1st - Major Samuel Nichols (1775-1781)

2nd - LtCol William Burrows (1798-1804)

3rd - LtCol Franklin Wharton (1804-1818)

4th - LtCol Anthony Gale (1819-1820)

5th - Col Archibald Henderson (1820-1859)

The "Grand Old Man of the Marine Corps". He served in the Marine Corps for 53 years with almost 39 of those as Commandant. He was presented with a sword after the Mexican-American War with an inscription that read, "From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli" which later became the first words of the Marines Hymn.

6th - Col John Harris (1859-1864)

7th - BGen Jacob Zeilin (1864-1876)

8th - Col Charles McCawley (1876-1891)

9th - MGen Charles Heywood (1891-1903)

10th - MGen George Elliott (1903-1910)

11th - MGen William Biddle (1911-1914)

12th - MGen George Barnett (1914-1920)

13th - MGen John Lejeune (1920-1929)

One of the most distinguished soldiers of World War I. He was the first Marine officer to command an Army division in combat. He established the tradition of the annual Marine Corps Birthday celebration. He also was responsible for helping to create the Marine Corps League and the Marine Corps Gazette. His promotion of the Marine Corps as an expeditionary force that was geared towards amphibious warfare not only helped prevent budget cuts and consolidation after WWI but helped prepare for WWII. He served as superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute for five years after retiring from the Marine Corps.

14th - MGen Wendell Neville (1929-1930)

Awarded the Medal of Honor as a LtCol for his actions while commanding Marines landing at Vera Cruz, Mexico on 21 April 1914.

15th - MGen Ben Fuller (1930-1934)

16th - MGen John Russell (1934-1936)

17th - LtGen Thomas Holcomb (1936-1943)

18th - Gen Alexander A. Vandegrift (1944-1947)

He earned the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross in WWII for his service in the Solomon Islands. He was sworn in as CMC as a LtGen, but 14 months later he became the first Marine on active duty to attain four stars.

19th - Gen Clifton Cates (1948-1952)

20th - Gen Lemuel Shepherd Jr. (1952-1955)

21st - Gen Randolph Pate (1956-1959)

22nd - Gen David Shoup (1960-1963)

He earned the Medal of Honor while commanding the 2nd Marines as a Colonel during the fight for Tarawa.

23rd - Gen Wallace Greene Jr. (1964-1967)

24th - Gen Leonard Chapman Jr. (1968-1971)

25th - Gen Robert Cushman Jr. (1972-1975)

26th - Gen Louis H. Wilson (1975-1979)

Medal of Honor recipient for his actions as a Captain in Guam during 25-26 July 1944 while commanding a rifle company from 2d Battalion, 9th Marines. In 1977, he became the 21st recipient of the National Football Foundation's Gold Medal.

27th - Gen Robert Barrow (1979-1983)

28th - Gen Paul X. Kelly (1983-1987)

29th - Gen Alfred M. Gray Jr.(1987-1990)

A warrior's warrior. He revitalized the warrior ethic not only in the Marine Corps but throughout the services. He always appeared for official meetings and photos wearing camoflauge instead of a dress uniform. He reintroduced bayonet training in boot camp supplemented with one-on-one martial combat skills.

30th - Gen Carl E. Mundy Jr. (1991-1994)

31st - Gen Charles C. Krulak (1994-1999)

Son of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam veteran, LtGen Victor Krulak, USMC. Wrote "The Strategic Corporal: Leadership in the Three Block War" which was published in Marines Magazine in January 1999. This essay describes the vital concepts of today's battlefields with lessons learned from Somalia, Haiti, and Bosnia.

32nd - Gen James L. Jones (1999-2003)

Introduced the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP). The first Commandant in more than 40 years who did not retire from the position. After serving as CMC, Gen Jones became the first Marine to assume the duties as the Commander, U.S. European Command and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe.