General Robert E. Wood
General Robert E. Wood was a prominent U.S. Army officer and influential business executive. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Wood attended West Point, graduating in 1900 as a second lieutenant. Early in his career, he served in the Philippines during the Philippine Insurrection and later as an instructor at West Point. By 1905, he became Chief Quartermaster and Director of the Panama Railroad Company, overseeing logistics in the Panama Canal Zone for a decade.
Wood initially retired as a major in 1915 but returned to service in WWI, rising to brigadier general and acting Quartermaster General of the Army. Post-military, he joined Montgomery Ward and then Sears-Roebuck, where he eventually became president and chairman. His leadership at Sears significantly shaped the company’s history, transforming it into a retail giant.
A conservative Republican, Wood co-founded the America First Committee in 1940, advocating against U.S. involvement in WWII. His career spanned military service and pioneering leadership in American business.