William Birrell Franke (April 15, 1894 – June 30, 1979) was an American businessman and government official. He was best known for his service as

United States Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

from 1959 to 1961 under

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, ...

Biography

Franke was born in

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

, New York, the son of William G. and Helena E. (Birrell) Franke. He was educated in Troy, and attended Pace College, where he graduated with a business degree and specialized in accounting.

Business career

His career included position as an accountant, manager and executive with Cluett, Peabody & Company of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, Naramore, Niles & Company of

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...

and Touche, Nivin & Company of New York City. He was later the senior partner in Franke, Hannon & Withey, a New York accountancy firm. Franke was also a member of the board of directors of several other companies, including chairman of the board for the John Simmons Company of

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Johnson City, Tennessee Johnson City is a city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, mostly in Washington County. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 71,046, making it the eighth largest city in Tennessee. Joh ...

and the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway. In 1935 and 1936 Franke attracted notice when he completed audits of

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

following the assassination of Huey P. Long that exposed inconsistencies in university records and finances.

Government service

From 1948 to 1951, Franke was a member of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

Controller's Civilian Panel. He was a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense from 1951 to 1952. Franke served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) from 1954 to 1957. He served 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) ...

from April 1957 until June 1959. As Secretary of the Navy at the end of the Eisenhower administration, Franke was instrumental in developing and implementing new, modern technology for 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 ...

, including the use of nuclear-powered warships.

Later life

After retiring, he resided at his family's summer home, ''Pasture House'', in

Benson, Vermont Benson is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 974 at the 2020 census. The town is rural, with a concentration of several homes and businesses in Benson village, at the intersection of Stage Road and Lake Road. Ben ...

. He maintained an office in Rutland, where he worked as an investment counselor . He was also a board of directors member and advisory board member for Vermont's Howard Bank.

Death and burial

Franke died in Rutland after complications from

gall bladder In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the liver, although ...

surgery. He was buried at Fairview Cemetery in Benson.

Honors and awards

In 1948, Franke received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

from the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one o ...

. In 1955, he received an honorary

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

from Pace College. He was awarded the Army's Patriotic Civilian Commendation, the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

's Distinguished Service Award, and the

Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...

to recognize his work at the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy.

Family

Franke married the former Bertha Irene Ready of

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, who pre-deceased him. They were the parents of three daughters, Phyllis, Anne, and Patricia.

References

1894 births 1979 deaths United States Secretaries of the Navy United States Under Secretaries of the Navy Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients United States Assistant Secretaries of the Navy {{NewYork-politician-stub