George C. Rickards (August 25, 1860 – January 15, 1933) was a United States Army major general who served as Chief of the Militia Bureau, the first National Guard officer to hold this position.

He was the son of Colonel William Rickards, who commanded the 29th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment in the American Civil War.

He subsequently volunteered for active duty on the Army General Staff, and took part in development and passage of the National Defense Act of 1920, which included a provision that the Chief of the Militia Bureau be a National Guard officer.

During his term he worked to implement provisions of the 1920 National Defense Act, including reorganizing National Guard units to standardize them with units of the regular Army, building new armories and training sites, and taking steps to standardize training and education requirements between the National Guard and the regular Army.

[10][11] After retiring from the National Guard Rickards ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Republican in 1926.