George Whelan Anderson, Jr.

George W. Anderson


Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board
In office May 1, 1970 – March 11, 1976
President	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Max Taylor
Succeeded by	Leo Cherne
United States Ambassador to Portugal
In office October 22, 1963 – June 1, 1966
President	John F. Kennedy Lyndon Johnson
Preceded by	Charles Elbrick
Succeeded by	Tapley Bennett
Chief of Naval Operations
In office August 1, 1961 – August 1, 1963
President	John F. Kennedy
Deputy	Claude Ricketts
Preceded by	Arleigh Burke
Succeeded by	David McDonald
Personal details
Born	(1906-12-15)December 15, 1906 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	March 20, 1992(1992-03-20) (aged 85) McLean, Virginia, U.S.
Education	United States Naval Academy (BS)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1927–1963
Rank	Admiral
Commands	USS Mindoro (CVE-120) USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) Chief of Naval Operations
Battles/wars	World War II Cold War
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal (2) Legion of Merit Bronze Star

George Whelan Anderson Jr. (December 15, 1906 – March 20, 1992) was an admiral in the United States Navy and a diplomat. He served as the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) between 1961 and 1963, and was in charge of the U.S. blockade of Cuba during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Anderson entered the United States Naval Academy in 1923 and graduated with the class of 1927. After graduation he became a Naval Aviator and served on cruisers and aircraft carriers, including the USS Cincinnati.

In World War II he served as the navigator on the fourth USS Yorktown. After the war he served as the Commanding Officer of the escort carrier USS Mindoro and of the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. He also served tours as an assistant to General Dwight D. Eisenhower at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, special assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Radford and as chief of staff to the Commander in Chief Pacific.

As a flag officer he commanded Task Force 77 between Taiwan and mainland China, Carrier Div 6 in the Mediterranean during the 1958 Lebanon landing and as a vice admiral, commanded the United States Sixth Fleet.