Alexander Schott

Alexander Schott (February 27, 1878 - July 15, 1919) was the first enlisted service member of the United States Marine Corps to be issued a military service number upon the creation of service numbers as the primary means of Marine Corps identification in 1920.
Marine Corps service
Born 1878 in New York City, Schott worked as a farmer before joining the Marine Corps at the age of twenty two. Schott enlisted on June 26, 1900 and was assigned as a Marine Corps signalman with the rank of private. His first assignment was as a member of the Marine Barracks at the New York Navy Yard. He was briefly detailed to recruiting duty before deploying to the Philippine Islands for service during the Philippine-American War. He would later serve at the Marine Barracks in Annapolis, Maryland.
Schott would later serve continuously for over nineteen years eventually reaching the rank of Sergeant. In the summer of 1919, Schott was killed when he was electrocuted while repairing a telegraph pole at the Marine Barracks in Norfolk, Virginia.
First enlisted service number
When service numbers were first adopted by the Marine Corps in 1920, Schott was retroactively assigned the first formal service number which was #20,001 (1 through 20,000 were never issued). However, due to a clerical error, Schott was retroactively assigned a second service number several months later, this one #97,835
Awards and decorations
Schott was a veteran of the First World War and his known military decorations include the World War I Victory Medal and the Philippine Campaign Medal. He was considered for the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, but was never awarded the decoration due to several disciplinary infractions during his service.

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