Chester William "Chet" Nimitz Jr. (February 17, 1915 – January 2, 2002) was an American submarine commander in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, and a businessman. He was awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

and three Silver Stars for valor in battle. He was the son of U.S. Navy Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.

Early life

Nimitz was born to

Chester William Nimitz Sr. Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

and Catherine Vance (née Freeman) Nimitz at the

Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...

Hospital in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, while the couple, with their daughter Catherine Vance "Kate" (born the year before), lived at 415 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, and Nimitz Sr. was working on the at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Nimitz attended the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

at Annapolis, Maryland, graduating with the class of 1936. Nimitz married Joan Leona Labern at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard on 18 June 1938.Potter. p. 166. She was born in León, Nicaragua in 1912 to British parents, William Oscar Stonewall and Frances Mary (née Wells) Labern. With her parents she returned to England at the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1914, and was raised in England. Joan came to the United States in 1938 to study dentistry at the University of California Dental School in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, and met Chester at a cocktail party at Mare Island. She made news in 1944 when she failed her test to become a United States citizen; two days later she did become an American citizen. The couple had three daughters, Frances Mary,Potter. p. 417n. Elizabeth Joan, and Sarah Catherine.

Naval career

Commands

* Served aboard the heavy cruiser * Served aboard the submarine during the

Philippines campaign (1941–1942) The Philippines campaign ( fil, Kampanya sa Pilipinas, es, Campaña en las Filipinas del Ejercito Japonés, ja, フィリピンの戦い, Firipin no Tatakai), also known as the Battle of the Philippines ( fil, Labanan sa Pilipinas) or the Fa ...

* Commanded the U.S. Navy Submarine and inflicted 14,756 tons of shipping losses upon the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...

during the period of August 22, 1944 – September 21, 1944 * Commanded the U.S. Navy Submarine * Commanded Submarine Squadron 6 based in Norfolk, Virginia * Commanded the

submarine tender A submarine tender is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and ...

from August 11, 1956, to July 25, 1957

Later life

Chester Nimitz Jr. retired from the navy as rear admiral in 1957. He joined

Texas Instruments Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that designs and manufactures semiconductors and various integrated circuits, which it sells to electronics designers and manufacturers globa ...

, and spent four years there. He later joined Perkin-Elmer Corporation, a manufacturer of scientific instruments based in Norwalk, Connecticut. He became president, chief executive officer (CEO) and a director in 1965, and was elected chairman of the board in 1969, serving until retirement in 1980. Nimitz was an honorary trustee and honorary member of the corporation of the

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering. Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it ...

Death

The health of Nimitz and his wife, Joan, deteriorated in their later years. Joan was blind, and Nimitz had lost due to a prolonged stomach disorder. He was also suffering from

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

. On January 2, 2002, Chester Nimitz Jr. committed voluntary suicide with his wife Joan by ingesting a quantity of

sleeping pills Hypnotic (from Greek ''Hypnos'', sleep), or soporific drugs, commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of (and umbrella term for) psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep (or surgical anesthesiaWhen used in anesthesia ...

in their home at a retirement residence in Needham, Massachusetts. He left a note stating:

Awards and decorations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nimitz, Chester W. Jr. 1915 births 2002 suicides United States Navy personnel of the Korean War United States Navy personnel of World War II American people of German descent Military personnel from New York City People from Clinton Hill, Brooklyn People from Needham, Massachusetts Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Drug-related suicides in Massachusetts United States Navy rear admirals United States Naval Academy alumni Joint suicides Military personnel from Massachusetts