William Edmund Butterworth III
[aka: Alex Baldwin, Webb Beech, Walker E. Blake, James McM. Douglas, W.E.B. Griffin, Eden Hughes, Edmund O. Scholefield & Patrick J. Williams]
William E. Butterworth III was born: November 10, 1929, Newark, N.J. Parents: William Edmund and Gladys (Schnable) Butterworth. He is married with three grown children. Served in the U.S. Army, 1946-1947, 1951-1953. Served as a combat correspondent in Korea. Lives in Fairhope, Alabama. Wrote under the pseudonyms of Alex Baldwin, Webb Beech, Walker E. Blake, James McM. Douglas, Eden Hughes, Edmund O. Scholefield and Patrick J. Williams. Honors: Alabama Library Association, Alabama Author's Award, 1982. He was awarded honorary and/or life memberships in the Special Operations Association, Marine Combat Correspondents, and Marine Raider Association. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Military Fiction by Norwich University and addressed the cadets at West Point. He has been invested into the Order of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association and is a member of Gaston-Lee Post #5660, Veterans of Foreign Wars. "Nothing honors me more than a serviceman, veteran, or cop telling me he how much he enjoyed reading my books," said Griffin.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1946 after schooling at various public and private schools. After basic training, he received counter-intelligence training at Fort Holabird and was assigned to the Army of Occupation in Germany where he was ultimately assigned to the staff of then Major General I.D. White, commander of the U.S. Constabulary.
During the Korean War, he was recalled to active duty, interrupting his education at Philips University in Marburg an der Lahn in Germany, and again served under General I.D. White, both at Fort Knox and in Korea, earning the Expert Combat Infantry Badge and serving as a combat information officer and as acting X Corps (Group) information officer.
On his release from active duty, he was appointed Chief of the Publications Division of the Army Signal Aviation Test Camp; Support Activity at the Army Aviation Center in Fort Rucker, AL. After successfully publishing three novels, he left his civilian employment with the Army and has since published more than 128 books, including both fiction and non-fiction.
He began as a writer of fiction for young adults and is the author of more than 100 books He later switched to adult military fiction including the "Brotherhood of War" series, the "Badge of Honor" series, the "Corps" series, the "Men at War" series, a yet unnamed series on clandestine military activities in South America during WWII, and 12 sequels to "M*A*S*H." Several millions of his books have been sold and many more have been read. His books have frequently appeared on the best seller lists of "The New York Times" and "Publisher's Weekly".
[courtesy of: http://www.nmark.com/webgriffin/bio.htm]
The Citadel News Release
AUTHOR W.E.B. GRIFFIN TO SPEAK
CHARLESTON, S.C.(Feb. 23)--William E. Butterworth III, widely known for his illustrious books of military realism and adventure under the pen name, W.E.B. Griffin, will address the Corps of Cadets as a Greater Issues Speaker at 1 p.m. Friday, Mar. 3, at McAlister Field House on The Citadel's campus. The address is free and the public is invited to attend.
Butterworth has published more than one hundred books, which have been translated into all the major languages of the world. His most recent book, "The Murderers," was published in Jan. 1995. At this time, he has had 21 consecutive books on the NY Times Best Seller List.
Butterworth, most known for his serial books, "The Brotherhood of War," "Badge of Honor" and "The Corps," always provides an excellent narrative of mingling fact and fiction of the U.S. military. Popular author, Tom Clancy says, "W.E.B. Griffin is a story teller in the grand tradition, and is probably the best man around for describing the military community."
A native of Newark, N.J., Butterworth enlisted in the Army at age 16, after his expulsion from the Newark Preparatory School in 1946. He received counterintelligence training and was assigned to the Army of Occupation of Germany, where he served under the command of Maj. Gen. I.D. White, commanding general of the U.S. Constabulary.
Upon his relief from active duty, Butterworth became a political science student at Philip's University, Marburg an der Lahn, Germany.
Butterworth was later recalled to the Army during the Korean War, serving again under the command of Lt. Gen. White, who commanded the U.S. X Corps. Upon returning to the United States, Butterworth was discharged at Fort Knox, Ky. Butterworth's several years in the U.S. Army, provided him first-hand knowledge for many of his books.
He then accepted an appointment as the technical information officer of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Activity at Fort Rucker, Ala. He resigned from his civil service appointment in 1962 to become the senior writer at U.S. Army Aviation Center, where it was reported in his final efficiency evaluation that he was "the principal author of FM 1-1, Army Aviation Operations." In 1987, Butterworth was awarded the status of "Charter Member" of the Army Aviation Branch by the chief of Army Aviation.
Also in 1987, Butterworth received an honorary degree of doctor of literature from Norwich University, the nation's oldest private military college. He was inducted into the Order of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association in 1988.
The Citadel's Greater Issues Series provides an opportunity for many of the nation's leaders address to the Corps of Cadets concerning national and international issues that are shaping the United States and the world. The series was inaugurated by Gen. Mark Clark in 1954 and has since brought an impressive group of distinguished speakers to The Citadel's campus, including Presidents of the United States, American and foreign dignitaries, scholars, important military figures, business leaders and many others.
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For a complete list of books by William E. Butterworth III, please click HERE.
This page was last modified:
14.March.2002
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