Thomas Leigh Gatch (August 9, 1891 – December 16, 1954) was an American naval officer and attorney in the 20th century. A native of Oregon, and grandson of educator

Thomas Milton Gatch Thomas Milton Gatch (January 28, 1833 – April 23, 1913) was an American educator and politician in Oregon. He served one term as mayor of Salem, Oregon, was the president of what would become Oregon State University, served as president of ...

, he served in the United States Navy as a ship commander during World War II and Judge Advocate General of the Navy from 1943 to 1945. His last command was as commander of the Atlantic Fleet's service force.

Early life

Thomas L. Gatch was born on August 9, 1891, in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

to Claude Gatch and Helen Plummer.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. His grandfather had been the president of Willamette University in Salem, and both his father and grandfather served as mayor of the town. Thomas began his college career at Oregon Agricultural College where his grandfather served as president from 1897 to 1907. However he later transferred to the United States Naval Academy in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

and graduated in 1912.

Naval career

After college, Gatch spent five years at sea before joining the Navy's Judge Advocate General's Office (JAG) in 1919 in Washington, D.C. In D.C., he studied law at

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...

where in 1922 he earned his law degree. Gatch then went back to active duty aboard a ship, before teaching for three years at the Naval Academy. In 1935, he returned to the JAG's headquarters where he remained through 1938. Gatch then returned to sea until 1940. That year he began serving as Assistant Judge Advocate General, keeping that post until February 1942 after World War II began. Gatch then became commander of the , a battleship. Serving in the South Pacific until December 1942, commanding the ''South Dakota'' in the Pacific Theater of Operations in battles such as the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands during the

Guadalcanal campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in th ...

.15885 Gatch, Thomas Leigh Jr. (son)
West-Point.org. Retrieved March 29, 2011. He received two Navy Crosses for his service. Gatch's time in command was not without controversy. He was, correctly or incorrectly, blamed for a number of incidents involving his command; the grounding of his ship in Tonga in mid-1942, his collision with the destroyer in late 1942, and the inclusion in his crew of a 12-year-old boy -

Calvin Graham Calvin Leon Graham (April 3, 1930 – November 6, 1992) was the youngest United States military, U.S. serviceman to serve and fight during World War II. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the United States Navy from Houston, Texa ...

- who was wounded during the Guadalcanal campaign. While Gatch's time in command was not without victory and success, his reports were often criticized for gross exaggerations of success. Gatch's actions during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal included a fateful decision to initially engage the Japanese battleship '' Kirishima'' with his secondary battery only. During the subsequent fighting, the ''South Dakota'' suffered significant casualties, among them Gatch. Gatch was injured by shell splinters when the bridge of the ''South Dakota'' was struck by shells from the ''Kirishima''. In 1943, Gatch was invalided to shore duty, officially due to his wounds. Gatch became the 16th Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy. He remained in that position until December 3, 1945, when he became the commander of the service force of the Atlantic Fleet. Vice Admiral Thomas Leigh Gatch retired from the Navy in 1947.

Later life and family

From 1945 to 1947, Gatch served as a trustee at George Washington University. Thomas had one sibling, Orytha. He had three children with his wife; Thomas Leigh Gatch, Jr., Nancy, and Eleanor. His son Thomas Jr. attended the United States Army's service academy at West Point and disappeared in 1974, whilst attempting the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by balloon. After retiring from the Navy, Gatch returned to his native Oregon. He died on December 16, 1954, in San Diego, California, and is buried there at

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a federal military cemetery in the city of San Diego, California. It is located on the grounds of the former Army coastal artillery station Fort Rosecrans and is administered by the United States Department o ...

.Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.
Interment.net. Retrieved December 19, 2007.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gatch, Thomas Leigh 1891 births 1954 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War I Burials at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Judge Advocates General of the United States Navy Oregon State University alumni People from Salem, Oregon Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy vice admirals United States Navy World War II admirals Military personnel from Oregon