Legion State Headquarters

Department History

The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization. Focusing on service to veterans, their families and communities, the Legion evolved from a group of war-weary veterans of World War I into one of the most influential nonprofit groups in America.

In 1919 American Legion departments across the nation were holding conventions for the very first time. The Department of California held an organizational convention in San Francisco at Post 1 on October 10-12, 1919. The first convention was then held in San Diego on August 23-26, 1920. David P. Barrows, Berkeley Post 7 was the Department Commander.

In a few short years we will hold our Centennial Convention. There is a powerful history of the Department of California that is being written to help us celebrate. Every Post in the Department of California is part of our success story. If your post would like to include your story, please let us know.

Legion Organization

The American Legion is organized into 55 departments, with one operating in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico and the Philippines.

The basic unit of The American Legion is a post, which is supported by a number of organizational levels in the Department. The pyramid graphic to the left shows the levels of organization in the Department of California. The map to the right (click on the map to see a larger view) shows how the Department of California is organized geographically.

There are 6 Legion Areas in the Department with a Vice Commander for each area that is elected by the Legionnaires in the area they serve. Each district elects their own leadership from the ranks of Legionnaires in their district. The Legion Areas and Districts of the Department of California are administrative divisions of the Department intended to better serve our local Posts.