Robert I. Rees

Robert I. Rees (9 November 1871 – 23 November 1936) was a career officer in the United States Army and an American telecommunications executive. He served in the army from 1897 to 1924 and was a veteran of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, and World War I. Rees attained the rank of brigadier general, and was a recipient of the Army Distinguished Service Medal and Officer of the French Legion of Honor.

A native of Houghton, Michigan and an 1895 graduate of Michigan Technological University, Rees enlisted in the United States Army in 1897 and served during the Spanish–American War. He received his commission in 1899 while serving in the Philippine–American War, and began his career as a member of the 3rd Infantry Regiment. He served at posts throughout the United States, and was a graduate of the Army School of the Line, United States Army Command and General Staff College, and United States Army War College.

Rees became known for his abilities as a trainer and educator; at the start of World War I, he organized and led the Student Army Training Corps. During the war, he chaired the United States Department of War's Education and Training Committee, which created training programs for soldiers and introduced vocational training in anticipation of discharged soldiers needing employment in a post-war economy. He subsequently served in France, where he organized and led the American Expeditionary Forces University, which provided education and training to soldiers prior to their discharges as a way to facilitate their return to the workforce after the war. Following his return to the United States, Rees was head of the War Department's Education and Recreation Branch and served as the U.S. veterans' bureau's assistant director for vocational rehabilitation.

Rees left the army in 1924 and became assistant vice president for personnel and public relations with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. In November 1936, Rees tendered his resignation as of 1 December so he could accept a position with the American Engineers' Council for Professional Development. He experienced a cerebral hemorrhage while in Detroit on 18 November. He died in a Detroit hospital on 23 November and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.