General Alfred Maximilian Gruenther (3 March 1899 – 30 May 1983) was a senior United States Army officer, Red Cross president, and bridge player.

In June 1917, he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point and after studying for nineteen months, graduated early due to the war, on 1 November 1918, with a rank of fourth in a class of 277.

He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery but after the Armistice he was recalled to West Point to complete his training, and graduated a second time in June 1919.

[2] Until May 1935, when he was promoted to captain, he served various tours of duty including teaching mathematics, electricity and chemistry at West Point for eight years.

His performance was noticed by the Chief of Staff of the General Headquarters, United States Army (GHQ), Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair.

[3] In 1942, he was promoted to brigadier general and became a deputy chief of staff of Allied Force Headquarters in London under Gen. Eisenhower, who assigned him the Operation Torch development.

In the 1956 presidential campaign, Gruenther's name was placed on the list of possible candidates for the Republican nomination after Eisenhower's heart attack on 24 September 1955.

Gruenther served on the boards of Dart Industries, Inc., New York Life Insurance Company, and Pan American World Airways.

Gruenther died of complications of pneumonia at Walter Reed Army Hospital on 30 May 1983, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

His great-grandson, USAF Captain Lucas Gruenther died at the age of 32 while flying an F-16 jet fighter on January 28, 2013, during a training mission over the Adriatic Sea.

[15] After the West Point superintendent received a complaint about a full-time officer spending nights at bridge tournament, he audited Gruenther's 8 a.m. class.