William D. Leahy

Born: May 6, 1875, Hampton, Iowa
Died: July 20, 1959 (age 84), Bethesda, Maryland

Fleet Admiral William Daniel Leahy was an American naval officer, Governor of Puerto Rico and Ambassador to France. Leahy served as Chief of Staff to Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman during World War II (1942-1949). Fleet Admiral Leahy was the first U.S. military officer ever to hold a five-star rank in the U.S. Armed Forces.

1. When did Leahy graduate from United States Naval Academy in Annapolis?

• 1897
• 1895
• 1890

2. Leahy was in that battleship when she made her famous dash around Cape Horn in the spring of 1898 to participate in the Battle of Santiago on July 3 during the Spanish-American War. What was the battleship?

• USS Arizona
• USS Main
• USS Oregon

3. During the Philippine-American War and the Boxer Rebellion in China, he served on the USS Castine, the USS Glacier and commanded the gunboat. What was the name of the gunboat?

• USS Mariveles
• USS Randolph
• USS Edison

4. In 1913, he was assigned to the Bureau of Navigation as a detail officer where he served until 1915. At that time, he took command of the dispatch gunboat USS Dolphin, and established a very close friendship with, the then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, who cruised with him on the ship. Who was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy?

• Harry S. Truman
• Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Joseph Kennedy

5. He was appointed Chief of Naval Operations, took the oath of office in January 1937 to serve until August 1939 when he was placed on the retired list.

• True or False?

6. From September 1939 until November 1940, Leahy served as Governor of Puerto Rico. He was appointed Ambassador to France (later referred to as the Vichy French for the city in which the capital was located) in 1941 following that country's surrender to Germany. When was he recalled back to active duty?

• 1941
• 1942
• 1943

7. On July 6, 1942, Leahy was appointed Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Army and Navy. Who is the Commander in Chief?

• President of the United States
• Speaker of the House
• Vice President of the United States

8. Leahy spent D-Day, June 6, 1944, in his home town of Hampton, Iowa. This well-publicized "sentimental journey" was part of the deception efforts surrounding the Allied invasion of Europe. The idea was to lull any German agents in Washington, DC or elsewhere in the US into believing that the operation would not take place while such an important officer was out of the capital.

• True or False?

9. Leahy was appointed the first US Fleet Admiral

• December 15, 1944
• December 25, 1944
• December 31, 1944

10. "My own feeling was that in being the first to use it, we had adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make wars in that fashion, and that wars cannot be won by destroying women and children." Where did he write this?

• I Was There, Whittlesey House 1950 p. 8
• No More Bombs, Random House 1949 p. 75
• Chief of Staff, Doubleday 1952 p. 125

11. Where is William D. Leahy buried?

• Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia
• San Francisco National Cemetery, San Francisco, California
• Springdale Cemetery, Clinton, Iowa

William D. Leahy Answers

1. 1897
2. USS Oregon
3. USS Mariveles
4. Franklin D. Roosevelt
5. True
6. 1942
7. President of the United States
8. True
9. December 15, 1944
10. I Was There, Whittlesey House 1950 p. 8
11. Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia
    Plot: Section 2, Lot 932, Grid R-31.5

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