Richard Walden Mayo (June 12, 1902 – November 10, 1996) was an American Army general and athlete.

[3][4] After retiring from the Army, Mayo was a city manager in three municipalities and a community leader in Boca Raton, Florida.

As a member of the State Guard, Mayo helped keep order during the Boston Police Strike.

[7] In 1931, Mayo was one of nine Army officers chosen to be retained for further training in preparation for the 1932 Summer Olympics.

[13] He finished seventeenth, which moved him behind Oxenstierna and Lindman, but allowed him to maintain a half-point lead over Thofelt, giving him the bronze medal.

They married in June 1934 and would go on to have two children – Sally and Richard, Jr. [18][19] When the United States entered World War II, Mayo was stationed in Trinidad, British West Indies, where he was the senior aide to the commanding general there.

[1] He was soon brought back to the United States, where he graduated from the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1942.

[20] In May 1947, Mayo was transferred to the War Department General Staff, where he became Chief of European and Mid-East Branch, Plans and Operations Division.

He then served as the commanding officer of the 5th Field Artillery Group, 2nd Republic of Korea Corps, Eighth United States Army until January 1953.

[1] While in Korea, Mayo saw front line combat at Capitol Hill and Finger Ridge, was promoted to brigadier general, and was awarded the Legion of Merit, a bronze oak leaf cluster (in lieu of a second Legion of Merit), two battle stars, the Taegeuk Cordon, and the Eulji Cordon.

Mayo worked to clean up the area around the fort, which contained slot parlors and dive bars frequented by prostitutes.

Mayo's efforts resulted in a grand jury indicting 44 people on gambling-related charges and accusing Liberty County Sheriff Paul Sikes of having "knowingly failed and neglected" to enforce the law.

During his battle with Sikes, Mayo was twice turned down for promotion to major general, as Pentagon officials decided not to put his name before Russell and the Armed Services Committee.