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Gender:
Male
Birth:
16 July 1866
Death:
23 May 1949
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Biography

Introduction

Major General Robert Walter Mearns (July 16, 1866 – May 23, 1949) was a U.S. Army general during World War I.

Early life

Robert Walter Mearns was born on July 16, 1866 in Kemblesville, Pennsylvania to Andrew James Mearns, a farmer, and Martha Kennedy Mearns. He attended the West Chester State Teachers College, then entered the United States Military Academy and graduated number sixty-one of sixty-two in the class of 1892.

Military career

He was commissioned in the 20th Infantry on duty at Fort Assinniboine, Montana and later, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Mearns was promoted to major and commanded the Philippine Scouts from Feb 28, 1905 to December 8, 1909.

Personal life

Mearns married Ethel Janet Brown on June 5, 1913; together they had three sons: Robert, Fillmore, and James. He was a Presbyterian and enjoyed riding horses, golfing, and motoring. Mearns died at the age of eight-two at Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, on May 23, 1949.