William Daniel Leahy was born in Hampton, Iowa, on 6 May 1875. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1897 and was assigned to the battleship Oregon, serving in her through the Spanish-American War. In 1899, Ensign Leahy was sent to the Asiatic Station, where he participated in the supression of the Philippine Insurrection and of the Boxer Rebellion in China. In the decade following his return to the United States in 1904, he served in the cruisers Boston and California, was an instructor at the Naval Academy and chief of staff to the commander of U.S. forces in Nicaragua.
In 1915-16, Leahy was Commanding Officer of the gunboat Dolphin in the Caribbean area. He was next the Executive Officer of battleship Nevada, and, during the First World War, commanded the transport Princess Matoika. During the first half of the 1920s, Captain Leahy commanded the cruiser Saint Louis and battleship New Mexico. Promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral in 1927, he served as Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, was Commander of the Scouting Force's destroyers and was Chief of the Bureau of Navigation. In 1935 he became Commander, Battleships, Battle Force, with the rank of Vice Admiral and then flew his four-star flag as Commander, Battle Force.
In January 1937, Admiral Leahy became Chief of Naval Operations, serving for more than two years during a period marked by increasing tensions in the Far East and Europe and by a gradual expansion of the Navy. During this time he frequently had additional duty as Acting Secretary of the Navy. Following retirement in August 1939, Leahy was appointed Governor of Puerto Rico. In late 1940, he became the United States Ambassador to France, serving in that very demanding position until April 1942.
Upon his return home, Admiral Leahy was recalled to Navy service as Aide to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and as Senior Member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As such, he played a critical role in the strategy, diplomacy and execution of the Second World War. In recognition of these accomplishments, he received promotion to the rank of Fleet Admiral in December 1944. After Roosevelt's death in April 1945, Leahy continued in his posts, assisting President Harry S. Truman in bringing about final victory against Germany and Japan and then helping to guide the Nation in the early post-war years. Though he retired in 1949, Fleet Admiral Leahy technically remained on active duty until his death on 20 July 1959.
USS Leahy (DLG-16, later CG-16) was named in honor of Fleet Admiral Leahy.
This page features selected views of Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the "Online Library's" digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
Photo #: NH 49862 Vice Admiral William D. Leahy, USN, Commander, Battleships, Battle Force, U.S. Fleet On board his flagship, USS West Virginia (BB-48), off Long Beach, California, September 1935. Collection of Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, USN. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 47KB; 585 x 675 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 50873 Admiral William D. Leahy, USN, Chief of Naval Operations Portrait photograph, taken in 1939. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 52KB; 570 x 765 pixels |
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Photo #: 80-G-K-3196 (Color) Admiral William D. Leahy, USN Chief of Staff to the President Saluting, on the reviewing stand during the Navy Day parade, on Constitution Avenue, Washington, D.C., 27 October 1944. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 71KB; 585 x 765 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: NH 49841 Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, USN Portrait photograph taken circa 1945, while he was Chief of Staff to the President of the United States. Collection of Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, USN. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 69KB; 600 x 765 pixels |
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Photo #: 80-G-K-14447 (Color) Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, USN Chief of Staff to the President and Senior Member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Photographed circa 1945. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 82KB; 580 x 765 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: NH 1757 Battle off Santiago, 3 July 1898 Naval Cadet William D. Leahy (center) and Captain Charles Edgar Clark (right) on board USS Oregon (Battleship # 3) during the action. Photograph by Hart. Copied from the "Journal of Naval Cadet R.R. Miller, USN, 1898". U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 114KB; 740 x 615 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 49834 President William Howard Taft visits the U.S. Pacific Fleet, 15 October 1911 Photograph taken during the President's visit. Identified persons are (from left to right): Major Young, U.S. Army; Secret Service Agent Sloan; President Taft; Secret Service Agent Murjon; Secret Service Agent Moffett; and Lieutenant Commander William D. Leahy, USN (Aide). Collection of Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, USN. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 80KB; 740 x 540 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 47298 Admiral William D. Leahy (right) shakes hands with Admiral Joseph M. Reeves During change of command ceremonies in which Admiral Leahy relieved Admiral Reeves as Commander, Battle Force, U.S. Fleet, circa June 1936. Probably taken on board USS California (BB-44). U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 71KB; 740 x 605 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 89478 Admiral William D. Leahy, USN (Retired), United States Ambassador to France (right) Pays a farewell call on French Chief of State Marshall Henri Pétain, at Vichy, 27 April 1942. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 76KB; 590 x 675 pixels |
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Photo #: USA C-543 (Color) Yalta Conference, February 1945 Allied leaders pose in the courtyard of Livadia Palace, Yalta, during the conference. Those seated are (from left to right): Also present are USSR Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov (far left); Admiral of the Fleet Sir Andrew Cunningham, R.N., and Air Chief Marshall Sir Charles Portal, R.A.F. (both standing behind Churchill); and Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, USN, (standing behind Roosevelt). Note ornate carpets under the chairs. Photograph from the Army Signal Corps Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 133KB; 740 x 615 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 80-G-49101 V-E Day, 8 May 1945 Senior Officers of the U.S. Armed Forces make a radio broadcast in Washington, D.C., following the official announcement of Victory in Europe on 8 May 1945. They are (from left to right): General of the Army George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army; Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, Senior Member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, Chief of Naval Operations. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 73KB; 740 x 620 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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If you want higher resolution reproductions than the "Online Library's" digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 16 September 2001
Minor coding correction made 24 November 2005