About J. Lawton Collins
Joseph Lawton Collins (1 May 1896 – 12 September 1987) was a senior United States Army officer. During World War II, he served in both the Pacific and European Theaters of Operations, one of a few senior American commanders to do so. He was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the Korean War. Collins' elder brother, Major General James Lawton Collins, was also in the United States Army. His nephew, Brigadier General James Lawton Collins Jr. served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Another nephew, Michael Collins, was the command module pilot on the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 that put the first two men on the Moon and retired from the United States Air Force as a major general. == Early life and military career == Joseph Lawton Collins was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on 1 May 1896, the tenth of eleven children (five boys, six girls) of the large Irish Catholic family of New Orleans dry goods store and pub owner Jeremiah Bernard Collins and Catherine (Lawton) Collins. He attended the Catholic schools of Algiers and graduated from Boys High School in New Orleans in 1912. Collins attended Louisiana State University and competed for a congressional appointment to the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.