Clarence S. Ridley

Clarence S. Ridley (born June 22, 1883 in Corydon , Harrison County , Indiana , †  July 26, 1969 in Carmel , Monterey County , California ) was an American officer. Between 1936 and 1940 he was governor of the Panama Canal Zone .

Career

Clarence Ridley attended public schools in his home country. Between 1901 and 1904 he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point . He then began a long career as an officer in the US Army , where he was assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers . In 1905 and 1906 he was stationed at Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley . In 1907 he was transferred to Cuba for some time . He then went to Hawaii and the Philippines from 1909 to 1912 and then back to Fort Leavenworth. He was then assigned to the engineering district in North Carolina , where he was responsible for building two locks and barrages. This was followed by a period of service in Washington, DC . There he, meanwhile promoted to major, led the establishment of a reserve corps of engineers . From October 1917 he was a colonel on President Woodrow Wilson's staff . In addition, he was responsible for the administration of public real estate in the federal capital. This included overseeing the construction of the Lincoln Memorial and the Arlington Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery .

Since 1921, Ridley served in various military functions in the Panama Canal Zone. In 1936 he was appointed governor there as the successor to Julian Larcombe Schley . He held this office until 1940. During this time, the regulations for the use of the canal, including the transit fees, were revised. In addition, the canal entrance from the Pacific was deepened. Clarence Ridley remained in the Army until June 30, 1947; then he retired. His last rank is not recorded. He died in Carmel on July 26, 1969.

Web links

• Short biography at the Panama Canal Authority