Lawrence Fairfax Reifsnider (November 26, 1887 – May 14, 1956) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player and a vice admiral 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 ...

. A native of

Westminster, Maryland Westminster is a city in northern Maryland, United States. It is the seat of Carroll County. The city's population was 18,590 at the 2010 census. Westminster is an outlying community within the Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA, which is part of a great ...

, Reifsnider 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 ...

where he played college football at the

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

position for the Navy Midshipmen football team. He was selected by Walter Camp in 1908 as a second-team All-American. He graduated in 1910 and was commissioned as an ensign on March 7, 1912. After graduating from the Naval Academy, Reifsnider served in the

until December 1949, attaining the rank of vice admiral. He served as a submarine commander in

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 ...

, aboard the USS ''O-5'' and USS ''E-2'' submarines, and 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 ...

. He later commanded the cruiser USS ''Memphis'', served as chief of the United States Naval Mission in Colombia, as chief of the Pacific Fleet Amphibious Training Command, and as commandant of the Eighth Naval district in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. He received the Legion of Merit and three Distinguished Service Medals for his service in

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 ...

leading amphibious landing transport forces in the Pacific theatre. He lived in Coronado, California after his retirement and died at the Naval Hospital in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

. Reifsnider and his wife Louise (Munroe) Reifsnider (July 22, 1887 – September 17, 1969) were interred at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.

References

1887 births 1956 deaths People from Westminster, Maryland Navy Midshipmen football players American football ends Players of American football from Maryland United States Navy personnel of World War I United States submarine commanders Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Navy admirals United States Navy World War II admirals Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal People from Coronado, California Burials at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery {{US-navy-bio-stub