Crowe, William J., 1925-2007

William J. Crowe graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1947 and earned an M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton university. A submariner, he was senior adviser to the Vietnamese navy Riverine Force and in 1973 was promoted to rear admiral. In 1980, he was promoted to admiral and was Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces Southern Europe. In 1985, he served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position he held until he retired in 1989. Crowe served as ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1994 to 1997.

From the description of Memoirs, 1993. (Naval War College). WorldCat record id: 706696696

From the description of Letter, June 12, 1991. (Naval War College). WorldCat record id: 741514267

Naval officer and diplomat.

From the description of Papers of William J. Crowe. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71073564

Biographical Note

• 1925, Jan. 2: Born, La Grange, Ky.
• 1930: Moved with family to Oklahoma City, Okla.
• 1942 - 1943 : Attended University of Oklahoma, Norman, Okla.
• 1946: Graduated with class of 1947, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
• 1948 - 1949 : Attended Naval Submarine School, New London, Conn.
• 1949 - 1951 : Served aboard Flying Fish (submarine)
• 1954: Married Shirley Mary Grennell
• 1954 - 1955 : Assistant to the naval aide to the president, White House, Washington, D.C.
• 1956: M.A., personnel administration and training, Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.
• 1956 - 1958 : Executive officer, Wahoo (submarine)
• 1958 - 1959 : Head, New Development/Special Weapons Branch, Personnel Research Division, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Washington, D.C.
• 1959 - 1960 : Aide to deputy chief of naval operations, Plans and Policy Division, Office of Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.
• 1960 - 1962 : Commanding officer, Trout (submarine)
• 1964: M.A., Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
• 1965: Ph.D., politics, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
• 1965 - 1967 : Chief staff officer and later commander, Submarine Division Thirty-One, San Diego, Calif.
• 1967 - 1970 : Branch head, Pacific and East Asia Branch, Politico-Military Policy Division, Office of Chief of Naval Operations
• 1970 - 1971 : Senior advisor to Vietnamese, Amphibious Task Force, Cà Mau, Vietnam; and Vietnamese Navy Riverine Force, Binh Thuy, Vietnam
• 1971 - 1973 : Director, Office of Micronesian Status Negotiations Deputy to president's personal representative for Micronesian Status Negotiations, Interior Department
• 1973 - 1975 : Deputy director, Strategic Plans, Policy and Nuclear Systems Division, Office of Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.
• 1974: Promoted to rear admiral
• 1975 - 1976 : Director, East Asia and Pacific Region, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs), Washington, D.C.
• 1976 - 1977 : Commander, Middle East Force, Bahrain, Persian Gulf
• 1977: Promoted to vice admiral
• 1977 - 1980 : Deputy chief of naval operations, Plans, Policy and Operations Division, Office of Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Senior navy member, U.S. delegation, United Nations Military Staff Committee, Washington, D.C.
• 1980: Promoted to admiral
• 1980 - 1983 : Commander in chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe, Naples, Italy; and Commander in chief, U.S. Naval Forces in Europe, Naples, Italy, 1983
• 1983 - 1985 : Commander in chief, Pacific Command, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
• 1985 - 1989 : Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.
• 1989: Appeared as himself in “Hot Rocks” episode of television series Cheers Retired from navy
• 1989 - circa 1994 : Instructor, geopolitics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Okla. Counselor, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C.
• 1990 - 1993 : Member and director, Council on Foreign Relations Co-chairman, Carnegie Commission on Reducing Nuclear Danger
• 1993: Published autobiography with David Chanoff, The Line of Fire from Washington to the Gulf, the Politics and Battles of the New Military. New York: Simon & Schuster Published with McGeorge Bundy and Sidney D. Drell, Reducing Nuclear Danger: The Road Away from the Brink. New York: Council on Foreign Relations Press
• 1993 - 1994 : Chairman, President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
• 1994 - 1997 : Ambassador to the United Kingdom, London, England
• 1998 - 1999 : Chair, State Department Accountability Review Board
• 1999 - 2007 : Instructor, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
• 2000: Received Presidential Medal of Freedom
• 2007, Oct. 18: Died, Bethesda, Md.

From the guide to the William J. Crowe Papers, 1932-2003, (bulk 1971-2003), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)