William Herbert Eaton was born at Buffalo, New York, on April 29, 1906. He was graduated from Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1928, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, and from Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1931, with a degree as Doctor of Law.
He was first employed by the Law Form of Kellog, Emery and Inness-Brown in New York City, where he engaged in the general practice of law, specializing in oil matters. The Pacific Coast Petroleum Agency was formed as a result of his negotiations at a meeting of oil refiners in California, and he was thereafter appointed by the Secretary of the Interior as Government representative on the Board of Governors of the Agency.
Following his resignation from the Government in 1935 he became Assistant to the President of Shell Oil Corporation in New York, and during the years that followed engaged in general administrative duties, including the coordination of crude oil purchases, refinery runs, and pipeline operations. At that time he started the development of an extensive system of inland waterways and products pipeline operations. This resulted in the formation of a Transportation and Supplies Department of which he was made manager.
In November of 1938 he was transferred to an affiliated company, Asiatic Petroleum Company, Ltd., London, England, where he worked on European and Asiatic marketing cartels and was for some months Assistant Manager of the Fuel Oil Department, handling the Bunkering of vessels throughout the world.
Shortly after the outbreak of the war he was returned to the United States where he resumed his duties with the Shell Oil Company, and after a short period in Atlanta, Georgia, was transferred to New York as General Sales Manager of the Shell Oil Company.
On May 18, 1942, he was appointed a captain in the Army of the United States and on October 16, 1942, he was promoted to major, Air Corps; to lieutenant colonel on March 21, 1943; to colonel on November 24, 1943; to brigadier general on January 19, 1945.
He was first assigned to the Southeastern Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, Maxwell Field, Alabama, as Personnel Officer and Squadron Adjutant of the 610th School Squadron, Headquarters Central Instruction School, and in August 1942 became Assistant A-4 of the 4th Bombardment Wing, Eighth Air Force, Bolling Field, Washington, D.C. The following month he went overseas for duty as Chief of the Movement Control Section, A-4, Headquarters Twelfth Air Force, in the European Theater of Operations. He later served with his organization in the North African Theater of Operations, and was subsequently assigned to duty with the Northwest African Air Forces in the North African Theater.
In July 1943 he became Executive to A-4 (Movements and Shipping), Headquarters Twelfth Air Force, in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, and in January 1944 was made Assistant to the Assistant Chief of Staff, Headquarters Army Air Forces in the same theater. In May 1944 he became Assistant Chief of Staff, A-4, Headquarters Army Air Forces, Mediterranean Theater.
General Eaton was killed in an aircraft crash near Vichy, France, on February 6, 1945.
He was rated a Service Pilot.
DECORATIONS
In October 1944 he was awarded the Legion of Merit “for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services in North Africa and Italy from 1 September 1943 to 30 April 1944.”