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To those who knew him even casually, Lassiter was always a noteworthy person. To his inborn characteristics of personal dignity, forthrightness and composure, there was added a peculiar personal charm of modesty and gentleness which bound him to his friends in deep affection. He inspired in all a sense of his reliability and reasonableness. When all these qualities were brought to a fine edge by his military training in the Army, it was inevitable that he should often be selected for posts of high honor and great responsibility. His military record shows abundantly with what reliance he was so often assigned to high command posts. Several of such responsible duties are of such notable performance as to merit being mentioned here separately. For example:</div>
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Early in his career, while Inspector General of the Army, he was called upon to inspect the Artillery arm with a view to increasing the efficiency of the Officer Corps. This task he carried out by frequent inspections and rare judgment and always with delicate tact and diplomacy. For this he was highly praised.</div>
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Then, at the time when the United States was drawn into the First World War, he was a Colonel and Military Attache at the American Embassy at the Court of St. James. Upon our entry into that war, Lassiter was promoted to the grade of Brigadier General (in August 1917) and was placed in charge of all American troops in England and in command of Base No. 3, Line of Communication, then occupied with transferring American troops to France. His skill and efficiency in his duty prompted the British Government to confer on him the honor of Knighthood in the famed Order of St. Michael and St. George so that he became honorary “Sir William.” From this beginning his rise was rapid. He was first assigned to the command of an Artillery Brigade in France, then to the Artillery of a Division, then to that of a Corps, later to our Fourth Army and finally he was assigned to the Command of the 32nd U. S. Division. He marched to the Rhine with his Command, occupying Coblenz at the time when the Germans hesitated about signing the Peace Treaty after defeat. These duties were carried out uniformly with such brilliant efficiency as to merit the award to him of the U. S. Medal for “Distinguished Service.” The French, too, under whom he often served, awarded him the coveted medal of the Legion d’Honneur with rank of Commander and also gave him the Croix de Guerre with two palms for gallantry.</div>
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Then, further, while commanding the Panama Department his diplomatic skill was called upon in the Tacna Arica dispute in South America which had reached an angry crisis between Peru and Bolivia. He was nominated for that duty as Chairman of the American Commission appointed to solve this difficult international controversy. This was promptly brought to an end with rare skill and excellent judgment. In the Spanish-American War in 1898, also, he won distinction in the attack on Santiago, Cuba, and was awarded the Silver Star citation for gallantry in action and recommended to be a Captain by brevet.</div>
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Lassiter was retired from active service in the Army by operation of law in 1931 after 46 years of military life. During this time he was unmarried so that his entire career was dedicated to his chosen profession. On October 5, 1935, he married the charming Mrs. Jeannette Granville Johnson at the American Embassy in London and together they chose Santa Barbara, Calif., as their home where they lived happily ever after as in the fairy tales. They were a delightful couple, entertaining hospitably for years, making for themselves a cherished place in Santa Barbara society. She survives him. His death occurred March 29, 1959.</div>
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<em>William Lassiter</em> was born on September 29, 1867, in Petersburg, Va., of a well-known Virginia family. For eight years he studied at the University School in that city and on completion he was appointed a cadet at West Point in 1885. Upon graduation in 1889, he was assigned to the Artillery. He spent his entire Army life in that arm except for occasional separate details from time to time. For example, in 1901 he was on duty at West Point as an instructor in tactics. In 1908 he was on a Board convened to separate the Field Artillery from the Coast Artillery. He was a member of the Artillery Board to adopt Artillery Drill Regulations. He graduated from the Artillery School in 1894 and the Field Artillery School in 1913 and the Army War College in 1911. At this time also, he was one of a group of officers attending the German Imperial Maneuvers while a member of our General Staff.</div>
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Lassiter was on duty in the Philippines three times. The last time, in 1926, he commanded the entire Philippine Department. From 1923 to 1926 he had been in command of the Panama Department, whence he was sent to Tacna Arica, as before referred to. He was Inspector General in the Army of Cuban Pacification in 1908 and 1909 and later was Assistant Chief of Staff in charge of the G-3 Section.</div>
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After our victory in the First World War he was reduced to the grade of Colonel, but in 1920 he was again promoted to be a Brigadier General and was stationed at Camp Knox in Kentucky, a very responsible post for well-known persons. Here he commanded also the Basic School for Field Artillery. During his remaining years until retirement, he commanded many important posts which attested abundantly to his reputation for skill as an officer and to his sturdy reliability. In succession, he commanded the Panama Canal Department, the 6th Corps at Chicago, the Philippine Department, the 8th Corps Area at Fort Sam Houston and his last station was the Hawaiian Department where his retirement took place in 1931.</div>
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Perhaps the most interesting part of Lassiter’s career, and the part most valuable to this country when its fate was in danger, was that during the First World War. For some time before our entry into that war, Lassiter had been Military Attache in London, as before mentioned. On August 5, 1917, he was promoted to be Brigadier General and put in command of the Third Base Communications, then busily engaged in ferrying American troops to France. In December he was placed in command of the 51st Field Artillery, then a part of our 26th Division then in France. With it he served under the 11th French Army in the Chemin-des-Dames sector near Soissons. In March 1918 his brigade came into action in the Toul sector under the French 32nd Army until May. In May he was placed in command of the 66th Field Artillery Brigade of our 1st Corps for battle action in the Chateau-Thierry sector. In July 1918 he participated in the Aisne-Marne offensive. In August he was made Chief of Artillery of the Fourth U. S. Army Corps and took part in the St. Mihiel offensive. For his services with the French Army, he received high honors. On the 8th of August, 1918, he was promoted to be Maj. Gen. From August to October 1918 he was engaged constantly with the enemy in the Toul sector and in October he was made Chief of Artillery of our Fourth Army until the surrender of the Germans on the 11th of November. He was then put in command of our 32nd Division on its march to Coblenz on the Rhine to insure the final signatures of the Peace Treaty.</div>
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As we look back on Lassiter’s remarkable career, we cannot help being struck by the conviction that but few men deserve more than he that knightly motto of "Sans Peur et Sans Reproche” and none who more worthily earned that prized service commendation of "Well Done.”</div>
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<em>—WWH ’89</em></div>