Leslie Richard Groves Jr. (1896 - 1970)

Born 17 Aug 1896 in Albany, Albany, New York, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Grace (Wilson) Groves — married 10 Feb 1922 in King, Washington, United States

Died 13 Jul 1970 at age 73 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States

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Biography

Leslie Groves Jr. was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal.

Leslie Groves Jr. was awarded the Legion of Merit.

Leslie Groves Jr. is Notable.

Lieutenant General Leslie Groves (1896-1970) was a United States Army Corps of Engineers officer and Director of the Manhattan Project, a complicated industrial endeavor to create the first operational atomic bomb. The operational use of atomic energy is probably the singularly most important scientific, military and political change agent in world history. The use of the atomic bomb dramatically shorted combat operations during World War II and led to it's abrupt end (and Allied Victory).

In September 1942, Groves was appointed to head the Manhattan Project with the rank of Temporary Brigadier General. As project leader, he was in charge of all of the project's phases, including scientific, technical and process development; construction; production; security and military intelligence of enemy activities; and planning for use of the bomb.

Under General Groves' direction, atomic research was conducted at Columbia University and the University of Chicago. The main project sites were built at Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, and Hanford. He personally selected J. Robert Oppenheimer as leader of the Los Alamos laboratory, disregarding the latter man's Communist associations and waiving his security clearance process.

Groves was known for his critical and stubborn attitude, egotism, intelligence, and drive to achieve his goals at all costs. He continued to lead the project until 1947, when atomic energy affairs were turned over to the newly created civilian Atomic Energy Commission.

Colonel Kenneth D. Nichols, district engineer of the Manhattan Engineer District, wrote of Groves: "First, General Groves is the biggest S.O.B. I have ever worked for. He is most demanding. He is most critical. He is always a driver, never a praiser. He is abrasive and sarcastic. He disregards all normal organizational channels. He is extremely intelligent. He has the guts to make timely, difficult decisions. He is the most egotistical man I know. He knows he is right and so sticks by his decision. He abounds with energy and expects everyone to work as hard, or even harder, than he does... if I had to do my part of the atomic bomb project over again and had the privilege of picking my boss, I would pick General Groves."

Groves' biographer, Robert S. Norris, dubbed Groves "The Manhattan Project's Indispensable Man."

Early Life

Leslie Groves was born in Albany, New York on August 17, 1896. The La Groves genealogy document ^[1] states that as of 1915 he was a student enrolled at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), to graduate in the class of 1917; thus, based on his 1918 graduation date from West Point, he was probably wait-listed or transferred to West Point for the full four years, spending just one year at MIT. After graduating from West Point in 1918, Groves entered the Army Corps of Engineers and was promoted several times before being named deputy to the Chief of Construction in 1940. The projects included the building of camps, depots, air bases, munitions plants, hospitals, airplane plants, and the massive Pentagon, which he completed building in less than a year and a half. Groves oversaw a million men and spent $8 billion on Army construction with a peak month in July 1942 of $720 million, the equivalent of fifteen Pentagons. Groves' proven record of managing complex undertakings made him a logical choice to lead the Manhattan Project.

Family

Lt.Gen. Leslie Groves was born in 1896 at Albany, New York, to parents Leslie Groves Sr. and Gwen Griffith. In 1922 he married Grace Wilson and they raised a family of at least two children. Leslie died in 1970 at Washington, District of Columbia and is interred with his wife Grace at Arlington National Cemetery.^[2]

Later Years

Groves was promoted to Temporary Lieutenant General in January 1948 and retired a month later on February 29. From 1948 to 1961, he was vice president of the Sperry Rand Corporation. He also served as president of the West Point alumni association.

Sources

1. ↑ A history and genealogy of the Groves family in America descendants of Nicholas La Groves of Beverly, Mass.
2. ↑ Atomic Heritage Foundation

• Wikipedia:Leslie_Groves
• Official Military Personnel File for Leslie R. Groves [1]
• A history and genealogy of the Groves family in America descendants of Nicholas La Groves of Beverly, Mass [2] by William Groves, (PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR AT ANN ARBOR. MICHIGAN 1915).
• Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008. FamilySearch [3]. Sat Oct 21 08:24:44 UTC 2023). Shows the marriage of Leslie R Groves, Jr and Grace H Wilson on 10 Feb 1922 at King, Washington, United States. Source Details 81299.
• Find A Grave Index [4]
• United States Social Security Death Index. database, FamilySearch [5] 7 January 2021). Shows Leslie Groves, issued at the State of Connecticut; residence and last place of residence as District Of Columbia. Age 74 years, born 17 Aug 1896 and died July 1970.
• United States Census, 1910, Pasadena, Los Angeles, California, United States. FamilySearch [6]. Fri Oct 06 03:54:35 UTC 2023. Shows Leslie R Groves at age 13 years, born NY; and shows his father, Leslie R Groves at age 44 years, also born NY. Other children shown are Allen M, Gwynneth (born MI), and Owen G.