| Honorific Prefix: | Brigadier General |
| Jesse D. Auton | |
| Birth Date: | 1 December 1904 |
| Birth Place: | Covington, Kentucky |
| Death Place: | Offutt Air Force Base |
| Placeofburial Label: | Buried |
| Placeofburial: | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Branch: | United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force |
| Serviceyears: | 1928–1952 |
| Rank: | Brigadier general |
| Servicenumber: | O-17938 |
| Unit: | 65th Fighter Wing; 8th Air Force |
| Commands: | 65th Fighter Wing 313th Troop Carrier Wing |
| Battles: | Second World War |
| Awards: | Air MedalAmerican Campaign MedalAmerican Defense MedalBronze StarDistinguished Flying CrossEuropean-African-Middle Eastern Campaign MedalLegion d'HonneurLegion of Merit with 1 oak leaf clusterPurple HeartCroix de Guerre (French) Croix de Guerre (Belgian) |
Jesse D. Auton (December 1, 1904[1] – March 30, 1952) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force.[2]
Jesse D. Auton was born on December 1, 1904, at Covington, Kentucky, to Robert Wesley and Julia E. [Bagby] Auton. However, he was raised a few minutes to the south in Piner.[3] There, he was the valedictorian of the 1923 graduating class of Piner High School.[4]
Auton enlisted at Kentucky in 1928, going on to serve in the European Theatre of Operations during the Second World War. During the conflict he flew 12 combat missions.
At the White House, he served as an aide to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Auton was killed on March 30, 1952, in a plane crash at Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha. He was on a flight returning from California. He was buried on Independence Day - July 4, 1952, at Arlington National Cemetery.[5]