Wilber Elliott Wilder (August 18, 1857 – January 30, 1952) was a United States Army Brigadier General who was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for rescuing a wounded soldier under heavy fire.
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Education and army career
Wilber Elliott Wilder graduated from West Point in June, 1877, when he was just short of 21 years old. In 1886, he was a key figure in negotiating the surrender of the Apache chief Geronimo. While an Army Captain, he served as acting superintendent of Yellowstone National Park from March 15, 1899, to June 22, 1899. He also served in the Spanish–American War, the Pancho Villa Expedition, and World War I. From 1913 to 1916, he was the commander of Fort Myer.
Personal life
He married Violet Blair Martin, of the prominent Throop-Martin family of "Willowbrook" near Auburn, New York, on April 16, 1884. The Wilders had two sons and three daughters. After Violet's death, Wilder remarried in 1921 to widow Rose Dimond Phinney Grosvenor and then to Laura Williams Merritt, widow of General Wesley Merritt. He outlived them both and, at the time of his death, was the oldest surviving graduate of the Academy. He died in Governors Island, New York but was residing in Ridgefield, Connecticut at the time.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Horseshoe Canyon, N. Mex., 23 April 1882. Entered service at: Detroit, Mich. Birth: Atlas, Mich. Date of issue: 17 August 1896.
Citation:
Assisted, under a heavy fire, to rescue a wounded comrade.