George Owen Squier – Renaissance Man

On Memorial Day (May 27, 2024) the Village and Township of Dryden organized an outstanding Memorial Day Celebration—a lengthy parade, an outstanding Memorial Day presentation and the unveiling of the statue to General George Owen Squier. I went 25 minutes before the ceremony and expected to be able to get a parking spot close to Memorial Park. As I pulled into Dryden there were already hundreds of people waiting for the ceremonies to begin.

On the back of the ceremony’s program were “Excerpts From the Record of General George Owen Squier.” By themselves, these accomplishments indicate that General Squier was a remarkable man; however, there is more to the man than just his military accomplishments. Below are some of his other achievements and includes more detailed explanations of some of those listed.

When he graduated from West Point, he was seventh in his class of 65 students. Upon graduation from West Point, he was assigned to an artillery unit at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. While posted at Fort McHenry, Squier took classes in ballistics and electrical science (electrical engineering) at John Hopkins University and got his PhD in 1893. He was the first serving West Point graduate to hold a PhD. Upon completion of his doctorate, he was assigned to the Artillery School at Fort Monroe, Virginia where he helped found the Artillery Journal.

While stationed at Fort Monroe, he invented a means of remotely detonating a mine and remotely firing a cannon. These were capabilities not possessed by any other nation’s militaries. He also determined a method to measure the “muzzle velocity” of cannon shells. According to Newton’s Laws of Motion, to determine the landing spot of an artillery shell requires three things: the angle of incline of the cannon’s barrel, the wind conditions—speed and direction—and the “muzzle velocity” of the shell. This allowed for more accurate aiming of the cannons which reduced collateral damage, reduced friendly fire incidents, and fewer shells were needed to eliminate a target. Again, the U. S. military was the only military in the world with this capability.

He transferred to the Signal Corps and served as a captain in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War in 1898 and the Philippine-American War (1899-1902). While in the Philippines, he was the commander of the cable-laying ship, Burnside, from 1900 to 1902. During this time, he convinced the Army that an effective communication system could reduce the number of troops needed to man the far-flung islands within the Philippines archipelago. He returned to the States in 1903.

During the siege of Port Arthur during the Japanese-Russian war in 1904-1905, Squier provided the Japanese government experience and scientific instruments to locate the Russian enemy, which concluded the struggle. The Japanese declared him the “greatest man in the world.”

In 1905 he was responsible for establishing the Army Signal School and served as it commander. He incorporated into the curriculum a course on aeronautics. He along with one of his subordinates, Billy Mitchell, recognized the military importance of the airplane.

In 1907, as executive officer to the Chief Signal Officer of the U.S. Army, he recommended the formation of the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Signal Corp.—the first ancestor of the U.S. Air Force.

He wrote the specifications for the Army’s first airplane, the Wright Flyer. He was head of the Army board responsible for the performance and trials of the airplane. He oversaw the trial flights and flew as an observer on some of them.

On September 12, 1908, Orville Wright took Major Squier on a flight that lasted 9 minutes and 6 seconds making him the second person to fly as a passenger in an airplane. This flight, and one taken by another passenger three days before, essentially marks the beginning of modern air travel. The flight occurred at Fort Myers, Virginia just outside Washington, D.C. Congress adjourned to view the flight and inspect the airplane. This flight established an endurance record for flights taken up to that time.

On a trial flight on September 17, 1908, Orville Wright crashed his plane into Arlington National Cemetery and was injured and hospitalized. His passenger, Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge, unfortunately died. In 1917, while in charge of the Aeronautical Division, General Squier named the air field constructed near Mt. Clemens in the lieutenant’s honor.

From 1909 until 1911 he was awarded several patents in multiplex telephony. These patents were for the technology to permit the transmission of multiple signals across the same wire at the same time. Prior to that time, only one signal could be transmitted through a line, which limited the volume of messages that any telecommunication system could handle. His patents are the basis for our current telecommunications systems, up to and including the cell phone.

In 1912 he was sent to London as a Military Attaché. His reports on the communication services and methods and the developments in aviation provided the U. S. military with vital information for the improvement needed in these two areas.

Lord Kitchener allowed Squier to go to the front in Western Europe and make detailed observations of the military operations—one of only two observers allowed to go into France.

President Wilson recalled him in May 1916 with the purpose of correcting problems at the Aviation Section of the Signal Corp. The Aviation Section was plagued with multiple serious problems. He so successfully completed this assignment that he was promoted to Brigadier General and appointed Chief Signal Officer for the U. S. Army in February 1917.

In 1917, General Squier established the Aviation Research Laboratory at Langley Field (the oldest air field in the United States). It was the site of the majority of the advancements in aviation for over 80 years. That year he also established the Radio Research Laboratory at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, which contributed to the development of advanced communication methods and technologies. The laboratory building was named in the general’s honor.

General Squier can be credited with the Army’s institutionalization of scientific research and development for military purposes.

During the last years of his career because of his international notoriety and expertise, he attended a number of international conferences on communications and arms control.

At his own request, he retired on December 31, 1923 to concentrate on the development of “Muzak”–elevator music.

He purchased 240-acres surrounding a three-story mill on South Mill Road. He transformed this property into what became known as the Dryden Community Country Club. He described it as a free “country club for country people.” He periodically lived on this property but also spent time in his homes in New York and Florida. Today, 94-acres of this property are General Squier Historic Park Complex.

Major General George Owen Squier died of pneumonia on March 24, 1934, in Washington, D.C., just three days after his 69th birthday. He was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.

After his death, a class of troop transport ships was named in his honor: the first was A. P. 130 General G. O. Squier. At right is the bust of General Squier, which is in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. C.

Decorations
•Knight Commander, St. Michael and St. George, Great Britain;
•Commander, Order of the Crown, Italy;
•Commander, Legion of Honor, France;
•Elliot Cresson gold medal;
•Franklin medal;
•John Scott medal;
•Philippine Insurrection;
•Spanish American War

During his lifetime he was world famous. During his military service, he was a key person in the development of radio communication for national defense and the development of the airplane for military operations and passenger use.

His inventions laid the groundwork for our modern telecommunication systems including both the telephone system and the cell phone. One man with major contributions to the development of three of the significant devices of the last 150 years.

Copies of the Almont Historical Society’s various books can be purchased by contacting Jim Wade at 810-796-3355 or jrwade49@ gmail.com or stopping by the museum on Saturdays from 1-4 p.m.