Gruenther, Alfred M. (Alfred Maximilian), 1899-1983

Alfred Maximilian Gruenther (1899-1983) was a military officer, educator, bridge expert, and author. Nicknamed "the Brain" by colleagues, Gruenther was respected worldwide for his extraordinary analytical and strategic skills as a staff officer and soldier-diplomat. Gruenther's career of nearly forty years in the U.S. Army reached a pinnacle in 1951, when he was named chief of staff at North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters and became, at fifty-three years of age, the youngest four-star general in Army history. Two years later he was promoted to commander of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers, Europe (SHAPE). This triumph capped years of varied service. Gruenther's military posts prior to World War II included eight years of instructing in mathematics, electricity, and chemistry at West Point, the U.S. Military Academy. For part of World War II he served as deputy chief of staff of Allied Force Headquarters in London under General Dwight Eisenhower. Gruenther later served General Mark Clark as chief of staff of the Fifth Army and Fifteenth Army in the Mediterranean theater and was responsible for planning the invasions of North Africa, Salerno, and Sicily. Following his 1956 retirement as commander of SHAPE, he became president of the American Red Cross. He was also known internationally as a bridge player, tournament director, and referee.

From the description of Gruenther, Alfred M. (Alfred Maximilian), 1899-1983 (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10574714

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