John Edward Gingrich

John E. Gingrich
LCDR John E. Gingrich, circa 1938.
Nickname(s)	Johnny
Born	(1897-02-23)February 23, 1897 Dodge City, Kansas
Died	May 26, 1960(1960-05-26) (aged 63) New York City, New York
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1919–1954
Rank	Admiral
Battles/wars	World War II Korean War
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit (2) Navy Commendation Medal

Admiral John Edward Gingrich (February 23, 1897 – May 26, 1960) was an officer in the United States Navy who served as the first chief of security for the United States Atomic Energy Commission from 1947 to 1949, and as Chief of Naval Material from 1953 to 1954. He retired from the Navy as a four-star admiral.

Born in Dodge City, Kansas, to Edward Grant Gingrich and the former Bertha Allen, he attended the University of Kansas before receiving an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, in 1915. He graduated from the Naval Academy on June 7, 1919, and was commissioned an ensign in the United States Navy.

His first assignment was aboard the battleship Pennsylvania, flagship of the Atlantic Fleet. From January 1920 to July 1921 he served as assistant communication officer on the staff of Admiral Henry B. Wilson, Jr., Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet. In August 1921 he was transferred from Pennsylvania to the newly commissioned battleship Maryland, where he remained until June 1925, when he returned to the Naval Academy for a two-year tour as an instructor in the Department of Navigation.

From May 1927 to July 1930 he served as gunnery officer aboard the armored cruiser Rochester, which operated in the Caribbean Sea during interventions in Nicaragua and Haiti. He spent the next two years with the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Unit at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He commanded the fleet tug Algorma from June 1932 until April 1934, then served aboard the heavy cruiser Indianapolis until June 1935.