Born and raised in
Laurel, Delaware, Ellis attended
Dickinson College in
Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Dickinson in 1941 and his juris doctor degree from its
School of Law in 1949. Ellis was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Dickinson College in 1961; honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Dickinson School of Law in 1974, the
University of Akron in 1979, and the
University of Nebraska, Omaha, in 1981. Ellis entered active military duty in September 1941 as an aviation cadet at
Maxwell Field, Alabama. He received his commission and
pilot wings at
Turner Field, Georgia, in April 1942. During
World War II, Ellis served with the
3rd Bombardment Group in Australia,
New Guinea, and the Philippines, and flew more than 200 combat missions in the Western
Pacific area. He served as a pilot, commander of the
90th Bombardment Squadron, group operations officer and, from September 1944, as group commander. In April 1945, Ellis was assigned as deputy chief of staff,
United States Far East Air Forces, in the
Philippine Islands and Japan. , outgoing commander, stands by during the Allied Air Force Central Europe (AAFCE) change of command, 1975 He requested release from active duty, became a member of the Air Force Reserve and entered Dickinson School of Law in 1946. He graduated in 1949 and, after
admission to the bar in
Delaware, practiced law in
Wilmington. Recalled to active duty in October 1950, he was assigned to Headquarters
Tactical Air Command,
Langley AFB, Virginia; then as deputy for operations,
49th Air Division,
Sculthorpe, England; and later as chief, Air Plans and Operations Section,
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. From January 1956 to May 1958, Ellis was deputy chief of staff, operations, Headquarters
Nineteenth Air Force,
Foster AFB, Texas. He was then assigned to the Directorate of Plans, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., first as chief, Weapons Plans Branch, then as assistant director of plans for war plans, and later as assistant director of plans, joint matters. In July 1961, Ellis become executive to the chief of staff, U.S. Air Force. From August 1963 to June 1965, he commanded the 315th Air Division,
Tachikawa Air Base, Japan. He returned to Washington, D.C., and served as deputy director, J-5 (Plans and Policy), with the Joint Staff. In August 1967 he returned to the Air Staff, this time as director of plans. He assumed command of
9th Air Force with headquarters at
Shaw AFB, South Carolina, in September 1969. General Ellis on-board
SAC's
Airborne Command Post,
Boeing EC-135 Looking Glass in December 1979 General Ellis accompanying President
Jimmy Carter on a tour of
SAC HQ at
Offutt AFB, Nebraska Ellis was appointed vice commander in chief of
U.S. Air Forces in Europe in September 1970, became commander, 6th Allied Tactical Air Force, with headquarters at
İzmir, Turkey, in April 1971; and commander of Allied Air Forces, Southern Europe, with headquarters at
Naples, Italy, in June 1972. He assumed additional duty as commander,
Sixteenth Air Force,
Torrejon Air Base, Spain, in May 1973. He served as
Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force, from November 1973 to August 1975. He was then appointed commander,
Allied Air Forces Central Europe, and commander in chief, U.S. Air Forces in Europe. He assumed command of SAC in August 1977. Ellis was a
command pilot and earned the
Master Missile and the
Parachutist badges. He has been awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross,
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with three
oak leaf clusters,
Silver Star,
Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters,
Distinguished Flying Cross,
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters,
Purple Heart and Grand Officer of the Italian Republic. He was awarded the State of Delaware Distinguished Service Medal by Governor
Walter W. Bacon in 1946. In September 1980, he was presented the
Air Force Association's highest honor, the H.H. Arnold Award for significant contributions to national defense. As the recipient of this award he was also named as the association's National Aerospace Man of the Year. General Ellis received the Korean
Order of National Security Merit, First Class (Tong Il Jang) on May 13, 1981, at the
Korean Ministry of National Defense in Seoul. This award, the highest honor given by the Republic of Korea to a foreign military leader, was presented to the general for his important contributions to national defense of the Republic of Korea. Ellis was promoted to general in 1973 on November 1 (with date of rank September 30), and retired from active duty at age 62 on August 1, 1981. Ellis died in 1989 at age 69, and was buried at
Arlington National Cemetery. ==Effective dates of promotion==