United States Coast Guard Admiral. He served as the 13th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. He attended the University of Michigan for two years studying engineering. He then entered the Coast Guard Academy, graduating in 1933, second in his class. He served as an aide to wartime Commandant Admiral Russell R. Waesche until 1939, and then again from fall 1944 until 1946. During World War II, while serving as commanding officer of the Coast Guard Air Station at San Francisco, he made a daring open sea landing in rough water to bring a stricken naval officer ashore for medical treatment, an act that earned him a Letter of Commendation. In 1962, he became Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, and brought the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle to Washington D.C. where he hosted President John F. Kennedy onboard. A year later, he became Commander, 9th Coast Guard District in Cleveland, before becoming Commandant in 1966. He was the first aviator to serve as Commandant. During his tenure as Commandant, he oversaw the service’s transition from the Treasury Department to the Department of Transportation in April 1967. He retired from the Coast Guard on June 1, 1970. He was asked by Secretary of Transportation John A. Volpe to become Assistant Secretary of the newly created Office of Safety and Consumer Affairs, serving in that post from October 1970 until July 1971. He was the oldest living former commandant until his death. Among the many decorations he was the recipient of were the Legion of Merit, the National Defense Service Ribbon, the Command-at-Sea Insignia, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the American Legion Distinguished Service Medal.
United States Coast Guard Admiral. He served as the 13th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. He attended the University of Michigan for two years studying engineering. He then entered the Coast Guard Academy, graduating in 1933, second in his class. He served as an aide to wartime Commandant Admiral Russell R. Waesche until 1939, and then again from fall 1944 until 1946. During World War II, while serving as commanding officer of the Coast Guard Air Station at San Francisco, he made a daring open sea landing in rough water to bring a stricken naval officer ashore for medical treatment, an act that earned him a Letter of Commendation. In 1962, he became Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, and brought the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle to Washington D.C. where he hosted President John F. Kennedy onboard. A year later, he became Commander, 9th Coast Guard District in Cleveland, before becoming Commandant in 1966. He was the first aviator to serve as Commandant. During his tenure as Commandant, he oversaw the service’s transition from the Treasury Department to the Department of Transportation in April 1967. He retired from the Coast Guard on June 1, 1970. He was asked by Secretary of Transportation John A. Volpe to become Assistant Secretary of the newly created Office of Safety and Consumer Affairs, serving in that post from October 1970 until July 1971. He was the oldest living former commandant until his death. Among the many decorations he was the recipient of were the Legion of Merit, the National Defense Service Ribbon, the Command-at-Sea Insignia, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the American Legion Distinguished Service Medal.
Bio by: Ugaalltheway
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Smith memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
