American Legion. Dept. of Michigan

The origins of the American Legion can be traced to the late stages of World War 1, as American servicemen began to contemplate the formation of "an organization of veterans, dedicated in peace to the same ideals that inspired their services in war." Central to this effort was the comradeship characteristic of the soldiers that comprised the American Expeditionary Force. Wanting to preserve friendships that had been forged both in training camps and on the fields of battle, 500 delegates, representing various units of the A.E.F., were gathered in Paris in March 1919 to sow the seeds of the proposed veterans organization. This gathering, known as the Paris Caucus, arrived at the name "The American Legion" for the new organization, and set forth plans for a second caucus, at which further details of the organization would be ironed out. This second caucus was held in St. Louis in May of 1919, and involved nearly 1000 delegates from across the United States. It was at this event that the constitution and by-laws of the organization were adopted, the preamble drafted, and the location of the first annual convention determined.

The history of the Michigan department of the American Legion can be traced to April 1919, shortly after the Paris Caucus. At a meeting in New York, Colonel Fred M. Alger was appointed Chairman of the Michigan Temporary Committee. Later in that same year, forty-six Michigan delegates were selected for the St. Louis Caucus, and while in St. Louis, the Michigan Department held its first meeting in the Hotel Statler. At this point, George C. Waldo was named Temporary Chairman, Benjamin B. Bellows Temporary Vice Commander, and Lyle B. Tabor Temporary Adjutant.

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