Wainwright, Jonathan Mayhew

Wainwright, Jonathan Mayhew, 1883–1953, American general, b. Walla Walla, Wash. Commissioned in the army in 1906, he reached the rank of brigadier general in 1938. In World War II he was stationed in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked in Dec., 1941. Wainwright took command after Gen. Douglas MacArthur was ordered to leave and led (Mar.–May, 1942) the gallant but vain fight that ended in the surrender of Bataan and Corregidor. He described his hard experiences as a prisoner of war in General Wainwright's Story (1946). Released (1945) from a prison camp in Manchuria, he witnessed (1945) the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay and then returned to the United States and was given the Medal of Honor. He was made a full general in 1945 and in 1947 retired from the army.