Leslie Richard Groves Jr was born in Albany, New York on August 17, 1896. He was the son of a U.S. army chaplain, and spent the majority of his childhood moving from place to place with his family. With his family’s less than ideal financial standing, the shy Groves would frequently work jobs to help out. In 1913, his life changed, though, when he was accepted to the University of Washington. Although his dream was to attend West Point, he was turned down and instead transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After reapplying, Groves was accepted to West Point and excelled. Although he older, more educated, and often seen as a loner, Groves was highly dedicated to his studies and thrived in the West Point environment. He graduated
