William Frederick Halsey (April 11, 1853 – June 11, 1920) was a United States naval officer.

Biography

Early life

William Frederick Halsey was born on April 11, 1853, in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, the son of Eliza Grace (King) and Charles Henry Halsey. He was a descendant of United States Senator

Rufus King Rufus King (March 24, 1755April 29, 1827) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress and the Philadelphia Convention and was one of the signers of the Unit ...

. He was appointed to 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 ...

from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

and entered naval service a midshipman at the Naval Academy in September 1869.

Career

As a lieutenant, Halsey was stationed on the (c. 1888), (c. 1894), (c. 1894) and was navigator of the in May 1898. During the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

the ''Newark'' served as the flagship of Commodore John C. Watson during the engagement of Aguadores and as part of the fleet blockading Santiago, Cuba. That September, he received orders to the Naval Academy. In 1898 he became a member of the Pennsylvania Commandery of the Military Order of Foreign Wars. In February 1900, he received orders detaching him from Naval Academy and ordering him to report to the , as Executive Officer, in

San Diego, California 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 States ...

. Halsey was promoted to commander in 1902 and served as head of the Department of Seamanship at the United States Naval Academy. While a commander, he served as commanding officer of the (briefly, in 1905) and the (c. 1905). Halsey was promoted to the rank of captain in 1906. He retired from the Navy, at his own request, on June 30, 1907, but continued to serve on active duty at the Bureau of Construction and Repair until 1919.

Death

He died on June 11, 1920 and was buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. His wife Anne, who died on May 25, 1947, is buried with him, and his son, who died on August 16, 1959 is buried beside him.Burial Detail: Halsey, William F
– ANC Explorer

Personal life

He married Anne Masters Brewster and on October 30, 1882. Their son, future Fleet Admiral

William F. Halsey Jr. William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr. (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959) was an American Navy admiral during World War II. He is one of four officers to have attained the rank of five-star fleet admiral of the United States Navy, the others ...

, was born in Elizabeth,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Dates of Rank

Midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

– September 22, 1869 * Passed Midshipman – May 1872 * Ensign – 16 July 1874 * Master – March 18, 1880 *

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 sub ...

– March 4, 1886 *

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

– March 3, 1899 *

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

– November 2, 1902 *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

– September 12, 1906

References

* Dates of promotion fro
''The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps'', Sixth Edition
1889, by Lewis Randolph Hamersly. 1853 births 1920 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Naval Academy alumni Naval War College alumni United States Navy officers American military personnel of the Spanish–American War {{USN-bio-stub