Amos A. (Amos Alfred) Fries

Born in Viroqua, Wisconsin, in 1873, Amos Alfred Fries graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1898 and began his career in the Army Corps of Engineers. He served in the Philippines under John J. Pershing and later worked on major engineering projects, including roads and bridges in Yellowstone National Park.

During World War I, Fries organized and led parts of the American Expeditionary Forces’ gas service in France. He later became a leading figure in the Army’s Chemical Warfare Service, helping shape the branch in its early years and remaining closely associated with the military use of chemical weapons in the period after the war.

After retiring from active service, he became known for outspoken conservative activism as well as for his military record. That mix of technical achievement, high rank, and political controversy has kept him a visible figure in histories of both the U.S. Army and the interwar years.