William D.

Leahy
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Fleet Admiral
William Daniel Leahy

Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, c. 1945

Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief

In office
July 20, 1942 March 21, 1949

Franklin D. Roosevelt
President
Harry S. Truman

Preceded by New Position

Omar Bradley as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of

Succeeded by
Staff

United States Ambassador to France

In office
 19411942

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Preceded by William Christian Bullitt, Jr.

Succeeded by Jefferson Caffery

Governor of Puerto Rico

In office
19391940

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Preceded by Blanton Winship

Succeeded by Guy J. Swope

Chief of Naval Operations

In office
19371939

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Preceded by William Harrison Standley

Succeeded by Harold Rainsford Stark

Personal details

May 6, 1875
Born
Hampton, Iowa

July 20, 1959 (aged 84)

Died
Bethesda, Maryland

Military service
 Allegiance United States of America

Service/branch United States Navy

Years of service 18971939, 19421949

Rank Fleet Admiral

Chief of Staff to the CINC

Commands
Chief of Naval Operations

Spanish-American War
Boxer Rebellion
Battles/wars World War I
Greco-Turkish War
World War II

Awards See below

Fleet Admiral William Daniel Leahy (May 6, 1875 July 20, 1959) was an
American naval officer, building his reputation through administration and staff work.
As Chief of Naval Operations (193739) he was the senior officer in Navy,
overseeing the preparations for war. After retiring from the Navy he was appointed by
his close friend President Franklin D. Roosevelt as Governor of Puerto Rico and, in
his most controversial role, as Ambassador to Vichy France, which was an ally of
Nazi Germany, 1940-42.[1]
Leahy was recalled to active duty as the personal Chief of Staff to President Franklin
D. Roosevelt in 1942 and served in that position throughout World War II, and
continued under President Harry S. Truman until finally retiring in 1949. In effect,
though not in title, he was the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; he also
presided over the American delegation to the Combined Chiefs of Staff. In these
multiple roles he was at the center of all major American military decisions in World
War II. As Fleet Admiral Leahy was the first U.S. naval officer ever to hold a five-star
rank in the U.S. Armed Forces.
The USS Leahy (DLG-16) was named in his honor.
Contents
[hide]
1 Early life
2 Naval service and retirement
3 Government service and recall
o 3.1 Governor of Puerto Rico
 o 3.2 Ambassador to France
o 3.3 Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief
o 3.4 Atomic bomb
4 Special Military Funeral
5 Dates of rank
6 Decorations and awards
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links
[edit] Early life
Leahy was born in Hampton, Iowa before moving to Ashland, Wisconsin. A son of
Michaael Arthur Leahy (1838-1921), a successful lawyer and Civil War veteran,
William had wanted to attend West Point and follow in his father's footsteps. Instead
he attended United States Naval Academy, graduating 15th in his class of 47 in 1897.
[2]

[edit] Naval service and retirement

Midshipman Leahy was assigned to Oregon, then in the Pacific. He was on that
battleship when she made her famous dash through the Strait of Magellan, and around
South America in the spring of 1898 to participate in the Battle of Santiago on July 3
during the Spanish-American War. This was the only battle Leahy ever saw in person.
Having completed the two years of sea duty then required by law, Leahy was
commissioned Ensign on July 1, 1899. At that time, he was on the Asiatic Station,
where, during the Philippine-American War and the Boxer Rebellion in China, he
served on Castine and Glacier and commanded the gunboat Mariveles. He returned to
the United States in 1902, and for the next five years did duty onboard the Tacoma
and Boston which were stationed in Panama during the early period of construction of
the canal.
His first shore duty was at the Naval Academy. Beginning in 1907, he served as
instructor in the Department of Physics and Chemistry for two years. He went to sea
in 1909 and served as navigator of the armored cruiser California in the Pacific Fleet.
October 18, 1911, Lt. Cmdr. Leahy served as naval aide to President William Howard
Taft, at the laying of the keel of USS Jupiter (AC-3), at Mare Island. During the
American Occupation of Nicaragua in 1912, he was Chief of Staff to the Commander
Naval Forces there.
Late in 1912, he came ashore in Washington as Assistant Director of Gunnery
Exercises and Engineering Competitions. In 1913, he was assigned to the Bureau of
Navigation as a detail officer where he served until 1915. At that time, he took
command of the dispatch gunboat Dolphin, and established a very close friendship
with, the then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt who cruised
with him on the ship. He was in that assignment in early 1917 in West Indian waters
and had additional duty as Senior Aide on the Staff of Commander Squadron Three of
the Patrol Force Atlantic Fleet.
He served for almost a year as the Executive Officer of Nevada and in April 1918
went to command Princess Matoika, formerly Princess Alice, transporting troops to
France. It was during this tour that he was awarded the Navy Cross.
After a short cruise in that command, he came ashore in 1918 and served for three
years as director of Gunnery Exercises and Engineering Competition in the Navy
Department, and as senior member of the Fire Control Board.
In 1921, he went to sea in command of St. Louis, flagship of the Naval Detachment in
Turkish waters during the war between Turkey and Greece. At the end of that war, he
was given command of Mine Squadron One, and in 1922 further additional duty as
commander, Control Force.
He returned to the U.S., and from 1923 to 1926, he served as Director of Officer
Personnel in the Bureau of Navigation, and then had one year in command of the
battleship New Mexico.
In 1927, he reached flag rank and became Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance. After
almost four years, he went to sea in 1931 as Commander Destroyers Scouting Force.
His son, William Harrington Leahy, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1927
and was engaged in pre-World War II naval intelligence.[3]
In 1933, he came ashore in Washington as Chief of the Bureau of Navigation for two
years, when he went to sea as a vice admiral, and Commander Battleships Battle
Force.[clarification needed] In 1936, he hoisted his four-star flag in California as Commander
in Chief Battle Force.[clarification needed]
He was appointed Chief of Naval Operations, took the oath of office in January 1937
to serve until August 1939 when he was placed on the retired list. On that occasion,
President Roosevelt said "Bill, if we have a war, you're going to be right back here
helping me run it."
Before retiring as CNO, Leahy joined his wife Louise Harrington Leahy when she
sponsored Cimarron, which was commissioned on March 20, 1939.
[edit] Government service and recall
[edit] Governor of Puerto Rico

Admiral Leahy confers with Puerto Rican officials. Left to right: Rafael Martnez
Nadal, Santiago Iglesias, Admiral Leahy, standing; Fernando Geigel, Alfonso Valdez,
Bolivar Pagan, and Luis Obergh
From September 1939-November 1940, Leahy served as Governor of Puerto Rico. He
oversaw the development of military bases and stations across the island while
serving as governor. He took an open stance of not intervening directly in local
politics, attempted to understand and respect local customs, and initiated various
major public works projects in the island.[citation needed] While given the unflattering
sobriquet "Almirante Lija" ("Admiral Sandpaper") by locals, based on his family
name, he was regarded as one of the most lenient American governors of the several
that served Puerto Rico in the first half of the 20th century.[citation needed]
[edit] Ambassador to France
Leahy was appointed Ambassador to France (later referred to as Vichy France for the
city in which the capital was located) in 1941 following that country's capitulation to
Germany. Leahy relates in his memoir I Was There that (his) "major task was to keep
the French on our side in so far as possible".[4] He was recalled in May 1942.
The U.S. supplied food and medical aid to the Vichy regime and to French North
Africa, hoping in return to moderate Vichy collaboration with Germany and to avoid
an open Vichy-German alliance in the Mediterranean. American aid proved too little
to buy French support over North Africa.

President Roosevelt and Admiral Leahy meeting with King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia,
onboard the USS Quincy.

Potsdam Conference: Clement Attlee, Ernest Bevin, Vyacheslav Molotov, Joseph

Stalin, William Daniel Leahy, James F. Byrnes, Harry S. Truman and others.
[edit] Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief
After the United States entered World War II, President Roosevelt decided he needed
a senior military officer as personal adviser and point of contact with his three service
chiefs, Admiral Ernest King of the Navy, General George Marshall of the Army and
General Henry Arnold of the Army Air Forces. The service chiefs resisted this move
until Marshall suggested that only Leahy would be accepted in this post.[citation needed] On
July 6, 1942, Leahy was appointed Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, U.S.
Army and Navy, the President of the United States.
Leahy spent D-Day, June 6, 1944, in his home town of Hampton, Iowa. This well-
publicized "sentimental journey" was part of the deception efforts surrounding the
Allied invasion of Europe. The idea was to lull any German agents in Washington,
D.C. or elsewhere in the US into believing that the operation would not take place
while such an important officer was out of the capital.
Leahy was appointed the first US Fleet Admiral on December 15, 1944.
[edit] Atomic bomb
Sitting (from left): Clement Attlee, Harry S. Truman, Joseph Stalin; behind: William
Daniel Leahy, Ernest Bevin, James F. Byrnes and Vyacheslav Molotov.
After the bomb was tested, Leahy was strongly opposed to its use in Hiroshima and
Nagasaki. In his memoir, he wrote:
"Once it had been tested, President Truman faced the decision as to whether to use it.
He did not like the idea, but he was persuaded that it would shorten the war against
Japan and save American lives. It is my opinion that the use of this barbarous weapon
at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan.
The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender because of the effective
sea blockade and the successful bombing with conventional weapons... My own
feeling was that in being the first to use it, we had adopted an ethical standard
common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make wars in that
fashion, and that wars cannot be won by destroying women and children."[5]
After mediating between the United States Navy and the Government of Puerto Rico
over the involuntary transfer of part of the islands of Vieques and Culebra to naval
authorities, Leahy resigned in March 1949 and the following year published his war
memoirs, I Was There.
A bilingual book, "Las memorias de Leahy: los relatos del almirante William D.
Leahy sobre su gobernacin de Puerto Rico (1939-1940)" listing his diary entries
from Puerto Rico in both Spanish and English, was published by the Luis Muoz
Marn Foundation in 2001.
[edit] Special Military Funeral
Leahy died at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, July 20, 1959 at the age
of eighty-four. He was given a Special Military Funeral on the following July 23rd
The body of Leahy was viewed at the Bethlehem Chapel at the Washington National
Cathedral from July 22 at noon until noon on the 23rd The funeral service was held in
the cathedral at 1400 on July 23 and the burial was in Arlington National Cemetery.
The gravesite is in Section 2, Lot 932, Grid R-31.5 about midway between Memorial
Gate and the Memorial Amphitheater.[2]
Honorary pallbearers were Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Admiral Thomas C.
Hart, Admiral Charles P. Snyder, Admiral Louis E. Denfeld, Admiral Arthur W.
Radford, Vice Adm. Edward L. Cochrane and Rear Adm. Henry Williams all retired
from service. Active military servicemen who were honorary pallbearers were
Admiral Jerauld Wright, Admiral Robert L. Dennison. Rear Adm. Joseph H. Wellings,
and a close friend William D. Hassett.[2]
[edit] Dates of rank
 United States Naval Academy Midshipman - Class of 1897, 15th of class of
47
Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Ensign Junior Lieutenant Commander Captain
Commander
Grade
O-1 O-2 O-3 O-4 O-5 O-6

December September August 29,

July 1, 1899 July 1, 1902 July 1, 1918
31, 1903 15, 1909 1916
Commodore Rear Admiral Vice Admiral Admiral Fleet Admiral
O-7 O-8 O-9 O-10 O-11

October 14, January 2, December 15,

Not Held July 13, 1935
1927 1937 1944
[edit] Decorations and awards

Navy Distinguished Service

Navy Cross Sampson Medal
Medal with two gold stars
Spanish Campaign Nicaraguan Campaign Medal
Philippine Campaign Medal
Medal (1912)
Mexican Service World War I Victory Medal
Dominican Campaign Medal
Medal with "Overseas" clasp
American National Defense Service
World War II Victory Medal
Campaign Medal Medal
Note: Leahy was ineligible for the American Defense Service Medal, retiring in
August 1939 and recalled in May 1942. The medal was for active service: 8
September 1939 to 7 December 1941.
[edit] References
1. ^ William D. Leahy, I was there: Personal story of the chief of staff to
presidents (1950) p 3
2. ^ a b c "Arlington National Cemetery Website". William Daniel Leahy.
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/wdleahy.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
3. ^ Naval history section
4. ^ Leahy, William I Was There Whittlesey House 1950 p. 8
5. ^ Leahy, p. 441
[edit] Further reading
Adams, Henry H. Witness to Power: The Life of Fleet Admiral William D.
Leahy (Naval Institute Press, 1985) 348 pp. the standard scholarly biography
Hayes, Grace P. The history of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in World War II (1982)
964 pages
Langer, William L. Our Vichy gamble (1947)
[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: William D. Leahy

[1][dead link]
Official Website of Adm. William D. Leahy
Naval War College Guide to Archives, Manuscripts -2001
Leahy, William D. Library of Congress Archives: Papers, 1897-1959 (8,000
items)
Paradoxes of Naval History: Witness to Power: The Life of Fleet Admiral
William D. Leahy
President Roosevelt to the Appointed Ambassador to France (Leahy) on
December 20, 1940
Chronology regarding Truman and the A-bomb:
From 8/2/45 - 8/10/45 with Smyth report on atomic bomb (August 6, 1951)
US Navy Historic Center biography of William Leahy
arlingtoncemetery.net: Biography of William D. Leahy
Annotated bibliography for William D. Leahy from the Alsos Digital Library
for Nuclear Issues
The Last Salute: Civil and Military Funeral, 1921-1969, CHAPTER XVII,
Former Chief of Naval Operations, Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, Special
Military Funeral, 20-23 July 1959 by B. C. Mossman and M. W. Stark. United
States Army Center of Military History.

Military offices

Preceded
William H. S

Preceded
None
Political offices

Preceded
Jos E. Co

Diplomatic posts

Preceded
William C.

[hide]
v
t
e
United States Ambassadors to France

Benjamin Franklin, Arthur Lee, Silas Deane

Envoys (substituted by John Adams in 1778) 17761779

Franklin 177885 Jefferson 178589 Short

179092 Morris 179294 Monroe 179496
Ministers Plenipotentiary Pinckney 179697 Livingston 180104
Armstrong 180410 Russell (charg d'affaires)
1811 Barlow 181112 Crawford 181315

Gallatin 181623 Brown 182429 Rives 1829

32 Harris (charg d'affaires) 1833 Livingston
183335 Barton (charg d'affaires) 1835 Cass
183642 King 184446 Rush 184749 Rives
Envoy Extraordinary and 184953 Mason 185359 Faulkner 186061
Minister Plenipotentiary Dayton 186164 Bigelow 186566 Dix 1866
69 Washburne 186977 Noyes 187781
Morton 188185 McLane 188589 Reid 1889
92 Coolidge 189293

Ambassador Eustis 189397 Porter 189705 McCormick

Extraordinary 190507 White 190709 Bacon 190912
and Plenipotentiary Herrick 191214 Sharp 19141919 Wallace
191921 Herrick 192129 Edge 192933
Straus 193336 Bullitt 193640 Leahy 1941
42 Tuck (charg d'affaires) 1942 Caffery 1944
49 Bruce 194952 Dunn 195253 Dillon
195357 Houghton 195761 Gavin 196162
Bohlen 196268 Shriver 196870 Watson 1970
72 Irwin 197374 Rush 197477 Hartman
197781 Galbraith 198185 Rodgers 198589
Curley 198993 Harriman 199397 Rohatyn
19972000 Leach 200105 Stapleton 200509
 Rivkin 2009

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Categories:
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