Robert Ernest Noble

Robert E. Noble (November 5, 1870 – September 18, 1956) was an American physician and a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Philippine–American War, United States occupation of Veracruz, World War I, and the Occupation of the Rhineland, he attained the rank of major general and was a recipient of the Army Distinguished Service Medal and French Legion of Honor (Commander).

A native of Rome, Georgia, Noble graduated from Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) with a Bachelor of Science in 1890 and a Master of Science in 1891. After working as the assistant state chemist for the states of Alabama and North Carolina from 1890 to 1895, he decided to attend the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York City, and he graduated with an M.D. degree in 1899. He was an intern at the New York City hospital on Randalls Island from 1899 to 1900, then a house surgeon at hospitals in New York City and New Jersey, after which he began a career in the U.S. Army.

Noble entered the army as a contract surgeon and served from 1900 to 1901, when he obtained his commission as a first lieutenant in the Medical Corps. He served in the Philippines from 1900 to 1903, gaining his initial military experience during the Philippine–American War. From 1907 to 1914, he was assigned to the Isthmian Canal Commission, where he worked with William C. Gorgas on an anti-mosquito campaign to eliminate yellow fever and malaria during construction of the Panama Canal.

In 1914, Noble served with U.S. forces during the occupation of Veracruz, after which he performed staff duty in the office of the Surgeon General of the United States Army. During World War I, he was promoted to temporary brigadier general and temporary major general, and was assigned to senior Medical Corps positions, including Chief Surgeon of Base Section Number 2 in Bordeaux and Base Section Number 5 in Brest.

In 1920, Noble served on the Rockefeller Foundation commission that traveled to South Africa to investigate the causes of diseases including pneumonia. Noble was in charge of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office from 1920 to 1925. He retired in 1925, and resided in Anniston, Alabama. Noble died in Anniston on September 18, 1956. He was buried at Hillside Cemetery in Anniston.