Clarence S. Ridley
Clarence Self Ridley was an American military officer who served as the governor of the Panama Canal Zone from 1936 to 1940.
Biography
Ridley was born in Corydon, Indiana on June 22, 1883, to Judge William Ridley.Ridley graduated fourth in a class of 114 from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1905. He was commissioned second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In 1917, Ridley was appointed senior military aide to President Wilson. He supervised construction of the Lincoln Memorial. After World War I, Ridley graduated from the Command and General Staff School in 1925, the Army War College in 1931 and the Army Industrial College in 1932. He then served as an instructor at the Army Industrial College.
Ridley served as Governor of the Panama Canal Zone from 1936 to 1940. He was promoted to brigadier general effective October 1, 1938 and received a temporary promotion to major general on February 14, 1941. During World War II, he was commanding general of the 6th Infantry Division from January 1941 to August 1942. Ridley then served as chief of the U.S. Military Mission to Iran from 1942 to 1946, for which he was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the citation for which reads:
His promotion to major general was made permanent on February 27, 1947, and he retired from active duty on June 30, 1947, after forty-two years of service.
Ridley died on July 26, 1969, in Carmel, California. He was buried at the West Point Cemetery on October 21, 1969.