William Harrison Standley
| William H. Standley | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union | |
|
In office 14 April 1942 – 19 September 1943 |
|
| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Laurence Steinhardt |
| Succeeded by | W. Averell Harriman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 December 1872 Ukiah, California, U.S. |
| Died | 25 October 1963 (aged 90) San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1895–1937, 1941–1945 |
| Rank |
 Admiral
|
| Commands |
USS Yorktown (PG-1) USS Virginia (BB-13) USS California (BB-44) Destroyers, Battle Force Cruisers, Battle Force Battle Force, U.S. Fleet Chief of Naval Operations |
| Battles/wars |
Spanish–American War Philippine–American War World War I World War II |
William Harrison Standley (18 December 1872 – 25 October 1963) was a U.S. admiral. He served as the Chief of Naval Operations between 1933 and 1937. He also served as the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1941 until 1943.
Standley was born in Ukiah, California, where his grandfather operated a hotel and his father, "Doc" Standley, was Mendocino County Sheriff. He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1895. He then served the required two years' sea duty in the cruiser Olympia (C-6) before he received his commission as an ensign in 1897.
During the Spanish–American War, he served in the monitor Monterey (BM-6) and later in the gunboat Alert (AS-4). After the fighting with Spain had ended, he joined the gunboat Yorktown (PG-1), during the Philippine–American War. He won a commendation for bravery during a volunteer reconnaissance mission carried out at Baler, on 11 April 1899. In conjunction with a feint conducted by Lt. J. C. Gilmore, Standley, then an ensign, ventured into enemy territory to reconnoiter insurgent positions.
Ordered to the gunboat Marietta (PG-15) on 29 May 1901, Standley later became Officer in Charge, Branch Hydrographic Office, San Francisco, California, in October of the same year. Assigned to the training ship Pensacola in June 1902, he later served as engineer in the ship Adams and as aide to the Commandant of the Naval Station at Tutuila, Samoa. Designated as the captain of the yard there in 1905, Standley discharged his duties as officer in charge of the native guard and chief customs officer until detached with orders to the US in October 1906.
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