Chandler, Alfred W., 1890-1978

Alfred Chandler was born in Newport, Rhode Island on June 17, 1890. After Dental School, he joined the Navy one week after the United States joined World War I in 1917. He would evnetually serve as Inspector of Dental Activities, Chief of Dental Inspections, Chief of the Dental Corps, and Assistant Chief for the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.

Chandler was the dentist for Presidents Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1947 he was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1947. All three would serve as the Chief of the Dental Corps. Rear Admiral Chandler retired from the United States Navy in July 1952.

He remained active in several dental organizations after retirement. On November 14, 1966, he received the highest award of the American Dental Association for his contributions to the field of dentistry. In 1967, he was elected President of the American Academy of the History of Dentistry. He also received the 1974 Hayden-Harris Award from the American Academy of the History of Dentistry for, among other things, writing and presenting articles and speeches on the history of dentistry, and for his role in getting George Washington's dentures displayed at the Smithsonian's Museum of History and Technology.

Alfred Chandler passed away on September 24, 1978. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery.