| A Cullum number is the number beside your name in the Register of Graduates. |
| The Cullum number is a reference and identification number assigned to each graduate of the United States Military Academy. It was created by Brevet Major General George W. Cullum, USMA Class of 1833, who, in 1850, began the monumental work of chronicling the biographies of every graduate. He assigned Number 1 to the first West Point graduate, Joseph G. Swift, and then numbered all successive graduates in sequence. Before his death in 1892, General Cullum completed the first three volumes of a work that eventually comprised 10 volumes, entitled General Cullum’s Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy, and covering USMA classes from 1802 through 1950. The current Register of Graduates is a direct descendant of General Cullum’s seminal work. |
| From 1802 through the Class of 1977, graduates were listed by General Order of Merit. Thus, the Register provided a quick reference for those looking for class rank. Beginning with the Class of 1978, graduates were listed alphabetically, and then by date of graduation. |
| Currently, seven graduates have an “A” suffix after their Cullum Number. For various reasons these graduates were omitted from the original class roster, and a suffix letter was added to avoid renumbering the entire class and subsequent classes. |
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