Leo O. Colbert
| Leo Otis Colbert | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
31 December 1883 Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Died | 24 December 1968 (aged 84) Bethesda, Maryland |
| Place of burial | Baltimore National Cemetery Baltimore, Maryland |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
|
| Rank |
|
| Commands held | United States Coast and Geodetic Survey |
| Battles/wars | Cold War |
| Awards |
 Department of Commerce Gold Medal (1950) |
Rear Admiral Leo Otis Colbert (31 December 1883 – 24 December 1968) was the third Director of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey and a career officer in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps, predecessor of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps.
Colbert was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on 31 December 1883. After primary and secondary education in Boston, Massachusetts, he attended Tufts University, from which he graduated with a degree in civil engineering in 1907.
On 1 July 1907, Colbert began his career with the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, which at the time was an entirely civilian organization. He served in coastal waters of the United States, Philippines, and Territory of Alaska as an civilian officer aboard ships of the Coast and Geodetic Survey's fleet of survey ships, serving as navigator and executive officer, and in 1912 he became a commanding officer for the first time, taking command of a survey ship in Alaskan waters.
After the United States entered World War I on the side of the Allies on 6 April 1917, Colbert became one of the original 119 commissioned officers of the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps upon its creation as a new uniformed service of the United States on 22 May 1917, serving as a commissioned hydrographic and geodetic engineer. In accordance with Executive Order 2707, Colbert was among Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps officers transferred to the jurisdiction of the United States Department of the Navy for wartime service with the United States Navy. His first assignment was to the Seattle Field Station of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and during this tour he also served as a navigation instructor at the Naval Camp at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.
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