thumb|right|300px|A retired George F. Elliot is on the left in the back row in this photograph taken with 13 retired United States Navy [[Rear Admiral (United States)|rear admirals ca. 1923.]]
George Frank Elliott (November 30, 1846 – November 4, 1931) was a United States Marine Corps major general. He was the tenth Commandant of the Marine Corps between 1903 and 1910.
Biography
George Elliott, born in Eutaw, Alabama, was appointed to the United States Military Academy in 1868 and was honorably discharged in June 1870 upon the completion of two-years of the four-year course of study there.
In October 1870, he was appointed a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Second Lieutenant Elliott served at the Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., from the time of his appointment to the Marine Corps until 1871, when he was transferred to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He later served on , , and , and was on duty at the Marine Barracks at Norfolk, Virginia, in 1877 when a battalion of Marines was ordered to that post from Washington, D.C. during the strike of railway employees. He was in command of the detachment that guarded the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad tunnel and also acted as guard for the paymaster of the railroad. He returned to Norfolk upon detachment from that duty. He was promoted to first lieutenant in 1878.
On his return to the United States he was on duty at Norfolk until 1903, when he was given command of the Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., and promoted to colonel in March 1903.
On 3 October 1903, he was appointed Brigadier General Commandant of the Marine Corps, relieving Major General Charles Heywood. In December 1903, he was ordered to command a Provisional Brigade of Marines organized for service in Panama. He departed on 27, December with the brigade on board , arriving at Colón on 3 January 1904, and went into camp at Haute Obispo, Panama. He relinquished command of the brigade on 15 February 1904, and resumed his duties at Headquarters Marine Corps on the 25th of the same month.
On 21 May 1908, he was appointed Major General Commandant of the Marine Corps. One of the most difficult endeavors of General Elliott's career was his successful resistance to attempts to remove seagoing Marines from capital ships and to merge the Corps into the Army. Also during his tenure, the home post of the Corps, the Marine Barracks at 8th and I Streets SE in Washington, D.C., underwent major changes. In 1903, the old barracks were condemned and pulled down and by 1910 had been rebuilt essentially in their present form. He was placed on the retired list on 30 November 1910 upon reaching the statutory retirement age.
Major General Elliott died at his home in Washington, D.C., shortly after noon 4 November 1931 after a brief illness. His remains were interred in the Arlington National Cemetery.
Legacy
thumb|Grave at Arlington National Cemetery
USS George F. Elliott (AP-13), a Heywood-class transport (1918–1942), was named in honor of Major General Elliott. The ship was sunk off Guadalcanal in 1942.
USS George F. Elliott (AP-105) was also named after him. The second Elliott was commissioned on 23 September 1943 and decommissioned on 10 June 1946.
General Elliott's nephew was Vice Admiral Elliott Buckmaster, USN (1889–1976). VADM Buckmaster commanded the USS Yorktown when she was sunk at the Battle of Midway.
Camp Elliott, a Marine Corp Tanks, artillery, and infantry training facility near Camp Kearny in San Diego County, east of the Miramar Marine Corps Airfield, was renamed after George F. Elliott (formerly Camp Holcomb) in 1940. The camp was instrumental in training the landing forces for the Pacific Campaign against the Japanese in WWII.
Awards
- Sampson Medal
- Spanish Campaign Medal
- Philippine Campaign Medal