Fred A. Bantz (June 25, 1895 – September 22, 1982) was an official in the

United States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy (DoN) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. It was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, at the urging of Secretary o ...

during the administration of

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Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

. He served as Under Secretary of the Navy from 1959 to 1961.

Biography

A native of

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...

, Bantz joined J. C. Penney in 1922 as a

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. He rose through the ranks, becoming a J. C. Penney

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in 1950. In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Bantz as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Material), a post he held until 1959. At that time, President Eisenhower nominated Bantz as

Under Secretary of the Navy Under may refer to: * "Under" (Alex Hepburn song), 2013 * "Under" (Pleasure P song), 2009 *Bülent Ünder (born 1949), Turkish footballer *Cengiz Ünder (born 1997), Turkish footballer *Marie Under (1883–1980), Estonian poet * Under (restaurant) ...

and he served in that capacity from June 8, 1959 to January 20, 1961. Bantz was active in charity work in the 1960s, serving as chairman of the fundraising committees of the American Red Cross and the American Cancer Society. He died at his home in

Delray Beach, Florida Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States Census. Located 52 miles (83 kilometers) north of Miami, Delray Beach is in the ...

on September 22, 1982, at the age of 87.

References

Obituary in ''The New York Times'', September 25, 1982
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bantz, Fred A. 1895 births 1982 deaths People from Delray Beach, Florida United States Under Secretaries of the Navy United States Assistant Secretaries of the Navy Eisenhower administration personnel