Horacio Rivero
| Horacio Rivero, Jr. | |
|---|---|
Admiral Horacio Rivero, Jr.
First Puerto Rican and Hispanic four-star Admiral and second Hispanic to become a Full Admiral in the United States Navy |
|
| Nickname(s) | Rivets |
| Born |
May 16, 1910 Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Died | September 24, 2000 (aged 90) Coronado, California |
| Place of burial | Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, California |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1931–1972 |
| Rank |
|
| Commands held |
USS William C. Lawe (DD-763) USS Noble (APA-218) Amphibious forces, Atlantic Fleet Commander of Allied Forces in Southern Europe |
| Battles/wars |
World War II Korean War Cuban Missile Crisis Vietnam War |
| Awards |
Navy Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star with “V” |
| Other work | U.S. Ambassador to Spain |
Admiral Horacio Rivero, Jr. (May 16, 1910 – September 24, 2000), was the first Puerto Rican and Hispanic four-star Admiral, and second Hispanic to become a full Admiral in the modern United States Navy. David Glasgow Farragut (1801–1870), a Hispanic, became the first full admiral of the Navy during the American Civil War. After retiring from the Navy, Rivero served as the U.S. Ambassador to Spain (1972–1974), and was also the first Hispanic to hold that position.
Rivero was born and raised in the city of Ponce, located in the southern coast of Puerto Rico, where he also received his primary and secondary education.
On June 20, 1927, he received an appointment from the Honorable Felix Cordova Davila, Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner to attend the United States Naval Academy. His nickname "Rivets" came about in the academy as a result of an officer who had trouble reading Rivero's name on his uniform. On June 4, 1931, he graduated third in a class of 441 from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Rivero's first assignment was aboard the USS Northampton (CA-26). From 1932 to 1936 he served aboard the following ships: USS Chicago (CA-29), USS New Mexico (BB-40), USS California (BB-44) and USS Pennsylvania (BB-38). He earned his Master's Degree in Electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1940 and in 1941 married Hazel Hooper.
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