Charles Bolte; Former Four-Star General

Charles Lawrence Bolte, 93, a four-star general who was the Army’s vice chief of staff during the mid-1950s. Bolte, who retired from active duty in 1955, was a company commander in World War I. As a major general in World War II, he commanded the 34th Infantry Division in Italy. After the war he served as Army Ground Forces chief of staff and chairman of the Inter-American Defense Board. He was the Army commander in chief in Europe in 1952 and 1953. He served as Army vice chief of staff, the No. 2 position in the service, from October, 1953, until his retirement in April, 1955. His decorations included two Distinguished Service Medals, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit and the Purple Heart. In Alexandria, Va., on Saturday.