Elizabeth Hoisington
Elizabeth P. Hoisington was born November 3, 1918, in Newton, Kansas. Hoisington came from a family with a long history of military service. Her grandfather, Perry Hoisington, helped found the Kansas National Guard, her father and three brothers all served in the military. Hoisington attended Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore and graduated in 1940. In 1942 Hoisington joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), which was changed to the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) in 1943. In 1966 Hoisington was named the director of WAC, and in her five years of directing raised the enlistment of women from fewer than 10,000 to 13,000, and expanded their roles in the army. On June 11, 1970, Hoisington was among the first women to be named brigadier general, along with Anna Mae Hays with the Army Nurse Corps. Hoisington retired in 1971 after being awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal. Hoisington died August 21, 2007, in Springfield, Virginia, of congestive heart failure.
Entry: Hoisington, Elizabeth
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: June 2012
Date Modified: July 2016
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
