John J. Pershing

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John J. Pershing

United States general

Also known as: Black Jack, John Joseph Pershing

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Nov 12, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

In full:: John Joseph Pershing

Byname:: Black Jack

Born:: September 13, 1860, Laclede, Missouri, U.S.

Died:: July 15, 1948, Washington, D.C. (aged 87)

Awards And Honors:: Pulitzer Prize

John J. Pershing (born September 13, 1860, Laclede, Missouri, U.S.—died July 15, 1948, Washington, D.C.) was a U.S. Army general who commanded the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in Europe during World War I. Pershing graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1886. He was commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the 6th Cavalry, which was then conducting operations against Geronimo and the Chiricahua Apache in the Southwest. In 1890 Pershing served in the campaign to suppress the Ghost Dance movement and an uprising among the Sioux in the Dakota Territory, but his unit ...(100 of 1069 words)

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