Russell R. Waesche
| Russell Randolph Waesche, Sr. | |
|---|---|
Waesche in the 1940s
|
|
| Birth name | Russell Randolph Waesche |
| Born |
January 6, 1886 Thurmont, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | October 17, 1946 (aged 60) National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch | |
| Years of service | 1906–1946 |
| Rank |
 Admiral
|
| Commands held | Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | |
Russell Randolph Waesche, Sr. (6 January 1886 – 17 October 1946) served as the eighth Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 1936 to 1946, overseeing the service during World War II. He was the U.S. Coast Guard's longest serving commandant, having served ten years as its commander. In addition, he was the first officer to hold the ranks of vice admiral and admiral within the Coast Guard.
Waesche was born and raised in Thurmont, Maryland. He was fifth of the eight children of Leonard Randolph Waesche and Mary Martha Foreman. Waesche's grandfather George Henry Waesche was a German immigrant who had become a prominent figure in Carroll County, Maryland. Following graduation from high school, Russell Waesche attended Purdue University for a year before transferring to the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service School of Instruction and accepting an appointment as a cadet in 1904. He graduated from the Revenue Cutter School of Instruction in 1906.
After graduating with the rank of ensign, Wasche served in the North Atlantic, the Great Lakes, and the Pacific Northwest. In 1911, Waesche commanded the USRC Arcata and the USRC Pamlico. In 1915, Wasche was assigned to headquarters in Washington, D.C. While stationed in Washington in 1915, he took an active part in creating the Coast Guard with the merger of the Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Life-Saving Service. Waesche remained in Washington and in 1916, became the head of the communications division. During World War I, Waesche remained in Washington.
In 1919, the 18th Amendment was passed, and Waesche was assigned to enforce prohibition at sea. He commanded various destroyers in preventing "rum runners" from entering port. He commanded the USCGC Beale. After he served on the Beale, he went to the Philadelphia Navy Yard and was the Coast Guard representative at the U.S. Sesquicentennial International Exposition. He later commanded the USCGC Tucker. Waesche also commanded the cutters USCGC Boutwell and USCGC Snohomish. At Coast Guard Headquarters, Waesche started the Coast Guard Institute and Correspondence School for warrant officers and enlisted personnel as well as the reorganization of Coast Guard field forces in 1932.
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