Fleet Admiral William Halsey Jr. |
|
---|---|
Birth name | William Frederick Halsey Jr. |
Nickname(s) | "Bull" Halsey (in the press) "Bill" (to his family, friends, and Navy colleagues) |
Born |
Elizabeth, New Jersey |
October 30, 1882
Died | August 16, 1959 Fishers Island, New York |
(aged 76)
Place of Burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/branch | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1904–1959 |
Rank | Fleet Admiral |
Commands held |
USS Flusser USS Shaw USS Wickes USS Dale USS Saratoga NAS Pensacola Carrier Division 2 Task Force 16 South Pacific Area United States Third Fleet |
Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
Awards |
Navy Cross Navy Distinguished Service Medal Army Distinguished Service Medal Presidential Unit Citation Mexican Service Medal World War I Victory Medal American Defense Service Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal |
World War I
World War II
William Frederick Halsey Jr., GBE (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959), known as Bill Halsey or "Bull" Halsey, was an American fleet admiral in the United States Navy. At the start of the War in the Pacific (1941–45) Halsey commanded the task force centered on the carrier Enterprise in a series of raids against Japanese-held targets. He was made commander, South Pacific Area and led the Allied forces over the course of the Battle for Guadalcanal (1942–43) and the fighting up the Solomon chain (1942–45). In 1943 he was made commander of the Third Fleet, the post he held through the rest of the war.
Halsey was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on October 30, 1882, the son of U.S. Navy Captain William F. Halsey Sr. Through his father he was a descendant of Senator Rufus King, who was an American lawyer, politician, diplomat, and Federalist. Halsey attended the Pingry School.
After waiting two years to receive an appointment to the United States Naval Academy, Halsey decided to study medicine at the University of Virginia and then join the Navy as a physician. He chose Virginia because his best friend, Karl Osterhause, was there. While there, Halsey joined the Delta Psi fraternity and was also a member of the secretive Seven Society. After his first year, Halsey received his appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, and entered the Academy in the fall of 1900. While attending the academy he lettered in football as a fullback and earned several athletic honors. Halsey graduated from the Naval Academy on February 2, 1904.