James Edward Wharton was born on December 2, 1894, in Elk, Chaves County, New Mexico. He was the husband of Madelyn Wharton. James graduated from the College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts at New Mexico State University in 1917. Wharton also served as an instructor at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and graduated from various military institutions, including the U.S. Army War College and the Army Industrial College.

He was commissioned as a second lieutenant through ROTC and served in the Infantry Branch. During World War I, he was assigned to the 62nd and 57th Infantry Regiments in the Philippines. He later held posts at Camp Fremont, Fort Benning, Fort Lee, and with the 3rd U.S. Infantry at Fort Snelling.

When the United States entered the war in 1941, Colonel Wharton was Chief of the Officers Branch in the Personnel Division (G-1) of the War Department's General Staff. In March 1942, he was promoted to the temporary rank of Brigadier General and was made Director of Military Personnel, Division Headquarters Services of Supply.

On August 12, 1944, Brigadier General Wharton replaced General Lloyd Brown as Commander of the 28th Infantry Division. A few hours later, Wharton was killed by a German sniper while visiting one of his regiments on the front line. He is now buried in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA. He was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal and the Purple Heart in recognition of his bravery and sacrifices.

Source of information: www.wikipedia.org