John Harllee (January 2, 1914 – February 5, 2005) was an American admiral who served 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 ...

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 ...

. He was a member of the

Federal Maritime Commission The United States Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is an independent federal agency based in Washington, D.C. that is responsible for the regulation of oceanborne international transportation of the U.S. It is chaired by Daniel B. Maffei. His ...

from 1960 to 1969, and was a maritime consultant and wrote books and for professional journals after retiring.

Life and career

Born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, the son of Ella Fulmore and William C. Harllee, a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

general officer, Harllee attended Western High School. He then 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 ...

and

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

, graduating from both. Harllee was a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

at the time of the Japanese attack on the base. He was subsequently the chief staff officer of a

torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...

group in the southwest Pacific consisting of 200 boats and 10,000 personnel, including Lt.

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

. The group was honored with the Presidential Unit Citation for Outstanding Combat Performance in 1943 to 1944. He personally received the Silver Star and the Legion of Merit with the combat

"V" device A "V" device is a metal capital letter "V" with serifs which, when worn on certain decorations awarded by the United States Armed Forces, distinguishes an award for heroism or valor in combat instead of for meritorious service or achievement. ...

. After

, Harllee was part of the Navy's Congressional liaison team, and was assigned to Representative John F. Kennedy from 1947 to 1948. During the

Harllee returned to active duty as the executive office of the cruiser ''Manchester'', receiving the Commendation Medal. He retired from the Navy in 1959. After retiring, Harllee served as the chairperson of Citizens for Kennedy and Johnson in northern California in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

. After Kennedy was elected, he appointed Harllee to the

, of which he became president in 1963. He was re-appointed to the commission by President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

, and retired in 1969. After retiring, he traveled as a maritime consultant and wrote articles for professional journals. He was the author of three books: ''The Marine from Manatee: A Tradition of Rifle Marksmanship'' (1984), ''Terror and Triumph: The Saga of Frank Carden'' (1990) and ''From Ships Destroyed to Ships Enjoyed: One Man's Experiences at Sea From Pearl Harbor to the Captain's Table'' (1997). Harllee died in February 2005 of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

at the Maplewood Park Place retirement community in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

, at the age of 91.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harllee, John 1914 births 2005 deaths People from Washington, D.C. Deaths from pneumonia in Maryland American admirals United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy personnel of the Korean War United States Naval Academy alumni Naval War College alumni Recipients of the Legion of Merit Federal Maritime Commission members 20th-century American male writers American consultants Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Presidential Unit Citation (United States)