Charles H. Whipple
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Adams, New York, US
Los Angeles, California, US
Charles H. Whipple | |
|---|---|
 1881 carte-de-visite photo by Reiman & Co., Cincinnati | |
| Born | June 12, 1849 Adams, New York, US |
| Died | November 6, 1932 (aged 83) Los Angeles, California, US |
| Buried | |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1881‒1912 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Unit | United States Army Pay Department |
| Commands | Paymaster-General of the United States Army |
| Wars | American Indian Wars Spanish–American War Philippine–American War |
| Spouse(s) |
Evelyn Elizabeth McLean
(m. 1871–1932) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relations | Henry Benjamin Whipple (father) David Wager (grand-uncle) Henry Halleck (cousin) Nathaniel McLean (father-in-law) |
Charles H. Whipple (12 June 1849 – 6 November 1932) was an officer in the United States Army. He served as a paymaster from 1881 to 1912 and was a veteran of the American Indian Wars, Spanish–American War and Philippine–American War. Whipple served as Paymaster-General of the United States Army from 1908 to 1912 and attained the rank of brigadier general.
Charles Henry Whipple was born in Adams, New York on June 12, 1849, a son of Henry Benjamin Whipple and Cornelia (Wright) Whipple.[1] He was raised and educated in Adams and in Faribault, Minnesota, where his father served as the first Episcopal bishop of Minnesota.[1] Whipple graduated from St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, then began a banking career as a bookkeeper and assistant cashier with the Citizens' National Bank of Faribault.[2] In March 1871, Whipple accepted a position as a paymaster with the Northern Pacific Railway.[2] In September, he left the railroad to return to Citizens' National Bank, this time as cashier.[2]
In February 1881, Whipple was commissioned as a major in the United States Army and appointed as a paymaster.[1] He performed paymaster duties throughout the western United States, including postings during the American Indian Wars and assignment to Saint Paul, Minnesota from 1894 to 1898.[1][3]
In May 1884, Whipple was carrying a $30,000 payroll (over $1 million in 2025) to Fort Buford with a sergeant as guard when seven masked men attempted to rob them near Glendive, Montana.[4] The sergeant was killed and the driver of the stagecoach in which they rode was wounded, but Whipple escaped with the money and hid in some nearby brush.[4] The robbers were not caught, but a horse dealer who had assisted them was prosecuted.[4]
Whipple served in Cuba and Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War, and in the Philippines during the Philippine–American War.[2] In 1908, he succeeded Culver C. Sniffen as Paymaster-General of the United States Army and was promoted to brigadier general.[2] Whipple served in this post for four years, and retired in 1912.[2]