George Whelan Anderson, Jr.

George Whelan Anderson Jr. (* December 15, 1906 in Brooklyn, New York City; † March 20, 1992 in McLean, Virginia ) was an admiral in the U.S. Navy from 1961 to 1963 the 16th Chief of Naval Operations and therefore supreme commander of the naval forces during the Cuban missile crisis.

Military career

Anderson joined in 1927 to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, and locked it three years later. He was Naval Aviator. During the Second World War, Anderson served as a navigator on the USS Yorktown. After the war he was commander of the USS Mindoro, then on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. According to his commands Anderson served ashore as an assistant to Dwight D. Eisenhower at the NATO and on the staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commander of the Marine forces in the Pacific.

As a flag officer Anderson commanded the Task Force 77 and Carrier Div 6 On August 1, 1961 Anderson was eventually appointed to the post of Chief of Naval Operations (CNO ). During his tenure as CNO, the U.S. Navy was used in the Cuban missile crisis and suffered the sinking of the submarine USS Thresher a major setback. 1963 Anderson was replaced due to his poor relations with Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara from the post of CNO.

Civilian life

President John F. Kennedy appointed the Admiral as the United States Ambassador to Portugal. After three years he returned to America and was 1973-1977 member and later chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.

After his retirement, he was chairman of the Lamar Corporation and was a member of several boards of companies.

Anderson was married a second time after his first wife had died in 1947. He had two sons, a daughter and a stepdaughter. The Admiral died on March 20, 1992 due to congestive heart failure. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Awards

Selection of decorations, sorted on the basis of the Order of Precedence of the Military Awards:

McLean (Virginia) Annapolis (Maryland) Naval aviation Ambassadors of the United States Distinguished Service Medal (US Navy) Bronze Star Medal Edward Walter Eberle Harold Rainsford Stark Ernest King Chester W. Nimitz Forrest Sherman Thomas Hinman Moorer Elmo Zumwalt Thomas B. Hayward James D. Watkins Jay L. Johnson Vern Clark Michael Mullen Gary Roughead
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