Clifton, Chester Victor Jr., 1913-1991

Chester V. Clifton Jr., a retired major general and senior military aide to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, died Monday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. He was 78 years old.

He died of pneumonia after an intestinal operation, a family member said.

General Clifton, who was widely known as Ted, joined the Kennedy staff in 1961 and was the officer responsible for the President's daily morning intelligence briefings on world events.

He was in the motorcade in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, when Kennedy was assassinated, and made arrangements with the White House to deal with military and national security affairs immediately after the assassination. A Public Relations Consultant

General Clifton remained as military aide to President Johnson until 1965, when he retired from the Army, after 33 years of service.

In December 1965, he was elected president of the Thomas J. Deegan Company Inc., a public relations and management counseling company. He formed Clifton-Raymond Associates Inc. in 1967, and the next year he established Clifton Counselors, a management consultant firm that dealt mainly with publishing affairs.

Chester Victor Clifton Jr. was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and grew up in the Puyallup Valley near Tacoma, Wash. He attended the University of Washington, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1936 and received a master's degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin in 1948.

Before his military career he worked as a reporter for The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and The New York Herald Tribune. Army Chief of Informatiion

In World War II he served in the field artillery and fought in Italy, France and Germany. After the war he worked in public relations at the Army's headquarters in Washington, and later became an assistant to Gen. Omar N. Bradley.

After attending the National War College in 1954 he served with the Army's European command in Paris. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1956 and returned to Washington, where he became chief of information for the Army.General Clifton was a co-author, with Cecil Stoughton, of "The Memories: J.F.K., 1961-1963," published by W. W. Norton; and served as public relations consultant in the development of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

When he retired General Clifton was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Among his other decorations are the Legion of Merit, the French Croix de Guerre and the Italian Cross of Military Valor.

General Clifton, who lived in Washington, is survived by his wife, Anne Bodine, and a brother, John R. Clifton, of Napa, Calif.

Chester Victor Clifton Jr. (September 24, 1913 – December 23, 1991) was a Major General in the United States Army and an aide to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.Biography
Clifton was born in Edmonton, Alberta before moving to the United States and settling in Puyallup, Washington.[1] He attended the University of Washington and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a master's degree in Journalism. As a civilian he worked as a reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the New York Herald Tribune and later worked in public relations and management. He co-authored the book The Memories: J.F.K., 1961-1963 with Cecil W. Stoughton and was a public relations consultant in the development of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Clifton died of pneumonia after an intestinal operation at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. on December 23, 1991 and was survived by his widow, Anne Bodine. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

Career
Clifton graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1936. During World War II Clifton served in the Field Artillery. Following the war he was assigned to Army Headquarters to work on public relations and later became an assistant to Omar Bradley. In 1956, he became Chief of Information of the Army. Clifton joined the Kennedy administration in 1961 as Senior Military Aide. In this position Clifton was responsible for Kennedy's daily intelligence briefings on world events. He was in the motorcade in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963 when Kennedy was shot. Following the assassination, Clifton was in charge of dealing with military and national security affairs from the aftermath.[1] He retained this position in the Johnson administration until his retirement from the Army in 1965.

Awards
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Croix de guerre (France)
Italian War Cross of Military Valor