James Theodore Dean

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James Theodore Dean (May 12, 1865 – June 15, 1939) was a United States Army officer who served in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He was born in Ironton, Ohio, and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1887. He worked mainly with ordnance and served as an aide to Major General John R. Brooke at two different times (1893–1895 and 1899–1902).

During the Spanish–American War, he was the Chief Ordnance Officer in Cuba and Puerto Rico. He later served in Alaska (1906–1908) and the Philippines (1912–1915). He attended the Army War College in 1911.

In World War I, Dean was temporarily promoted to brigadier general on August 5, 1917, and led the 156th Infantry Brigade on a tour in France. He also commanded the 78th Infantry Division from March 16 to April 20, 1918, and fought in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. After the war, he reverted to the rank of colonel and held several commands, including the 20th Infantry Regiment, and assignments in the Adjutant General's Department. He spent time in Manila as adjutant of the Philippine Department and later commanded the 11th Infantry Regiment. In 1924 he began recruiting work in New York and served as Chief of Staff of the 77th Infantry Division. He retired from the Army on September 3, 1928, with his rank restored to brigadier general in 1930.

Dean died at his summer home in Gracefield, Quebec, in 1939. He never married and is buried in Woodland Cemetery, Ironton, Ohio.