Haislip was born in
Woodstock, Virginia, on 9 July 1889, and moved at age two to
Staunton, Virginia. He was commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry upon graduating from the
United States Military Academy at West Point in 1912. Haislip served in
Vera Cruz, Mexico, in 1914 after the
Tampico Affair. From 1917 to 1921, he served with the
American Expeditionary Forces, first in World War I, then in the occupation of Germany. During his time overseas his assignments included being on the General Staff of
V Corps; Division Machine Gun Officer for the
3rd Division, and General Staff,
U.S. Forces in Germany. During World War I he participated in the
Battle of Saint-Mihiel and the
Meuse–Argonne Offensive. delivering an address, quite possibly his famous speech, to men of the
2nd Infantry Division, at
Armagh,
Northern Ireland, 1 April 1944. In the front are Patton, Major General
Walter M. Robertson, and Major General Wade H. Haislip. In the back far left is Brigadier General
Hobart R. Gay. He returned to West Point as an instructor from 1921 to 1923. He next attended a series of schools, beginning with the
U.S. Army Infantry School from 1923 to 1924, then the
Command and General Staff School from 1924 to 1925, and finally going back overseas to attend the French
École supérieure de guerre from 1925 to 1927. He returned to the United States as assistant executive in the office of Assistant Secretary of War from 1928 to 1931, followed by the
Army War College from 1931 to 1932, and an assignment as an instructor at the Command and General Staff School from 1932 to 1936. Prior to World War II he held a series of staff assignments, including time in the Budget and Legislative Planning Branch of the War Department General Staff from 1938 to 1941, and Assistant Chief-of-Staff for personnel. In World War II he served very briefly as assistant division commander (ADC) of the
4th Infantry Division. He organized the
85th Infantry Division and served as commander from April 1942 to February 1943 until he was succeeded by Brigadier General
John B. Coulter, his ADC. He next took command of
XV Corps and served with it through Normandy, France, Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns. He became commander of
Seventh United States Army, and was in that billet when World War II ended in August 1945. after presenting him with the
Medal of Honor, Germany, 18 June 1945 Following the war he was on the Secretary of War's Personnel Board from September 1945 to April 1946, and a senior member of the Chief-of-Staff's Advisory Group from 1946 to 1948. Prior to his selection in 1949 as Vice Chief of Staff he was Deputy Chief-of-Staff for administration, 1948–49. He retired in 1951. Haislip is responsible for introducing
Dwight D. Eisenhower to
Mamie Doud. Eisenhower was a second lieutenant and Haislip a first lieutenant at
Fort Sam Houston at the time. At Eisenhower's funeral, he served as a pall-bearer.
Major assignments • Assistant Chief-of-Staff for personnel – 9 February 1941 to 19 January 1942 • Assistant Division Commander, 4th Motorized Division – 20 January 1942 to 9 March 1942 • Commander,
85th Infantry Division – 9 March 1942 to 22 February 1943 • Commander,
XV Corps – 23 February 1943 to 1 June 1945 • Commander,
Seventh United States Army – 2 June 1945 to 7 September 1945 • President, Secretary of War's Personnel Board – September 1945 to 30 April 1946 • Senior member of the Chief-of-Staff's Advisory Group – 15 May 1946 to 1 June 1948 • Special Assistant to the Chief-of-Staff, U.S. Army – 1 June 1948 to 15 November 1948 • Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Administration – 15 November 1948 to 23 August 1949 •
Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army – 23 August 1949 to 31 July 1951 ==Post military career==