William J. Crowe

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Admiral William J. Crowe, Jr. USN (Ret.)
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Admiral William J. Crowe, Jr. USN (Ret.)

Admiral William J. Crowe, Jr., United States Navy (Ret.) (born January 2, 1925) is a former United States Navy admiral who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and as the Ambassador to the United Kingdom under President Bill Clinton.

William James Crowe was born in La Grange, Kentucky. At the beginning of the Great Depression, Crowe's father moved the family to Oklahoma City. Crowe graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1947. From 1954 to 1955, he served as assistant to the Naval Aide of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. From 1956 to 1958, Crowe served as executive Officer of the submarine USS Wahoo. In 1958, he served as an aide to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations. In 1960, Crowe took command of USS Trout, homeported in Charleston, South Carolina, and served as Commanding Officer of that boat until 1962. From there, Crowe earned a master's degree in education at Stanford University and master's and doctoral degrees in politics at Princeton University. During the Vietnam War he was the senior advisor to the Vietnamese Riverine Force. In 1996, he returned to service to take command of Submarine Division 31, homeported in San Diego, California.

A long string of assignments followed:

  • 1967 -- Head of East Asia Pacific Branch, Politico-Military Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
  • 1970 -- Senior Adviser to the Vietnamese Navy Riverine Force
  • 1973 -- Promoted to Rear Admiral and made Deputy Director, Strategic Plans, Policy, Nuclear Systems and NSC Affairs Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
  • 1975 -- Director, East Asia and Pacific Region, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense
  • 1976 -- Commander Middle East Force
  • 1977 -- Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Plans and Policy
  • 1980 -- Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe
  • 1983 -- Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Command

On July 10, 1985, William Crowe was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He continued to serve as CJCS through the Bush administration until 1989 when he retired from the Navy.

Crowe surprised politicos when he endorsed Bill Clinton in the presidential election of 1992. In 1994, President Clinton appointed Crowe Ambassador to the United Kingdom and served in that capacity until 1997.

William Crowe has been married to Shirley Grinel since 1954. They have three children. He has sat on the Boards of Texaco, Merrill Lynch, Pfizer, Norfolk Southern Corporation and General Dynamics. At present, Crowe serves as the Chairman of the Board of Visitors for the International Programs Center of Oklahoma University. He also serves as an advisory board member for GlobalOptions, Inc., an international risk management and business solutions company headquartered in Washington, DC.

Crowe has been awarded Doctor of Laws (LL.D) honorary degrees from numerous universities, including University of Liverpool, The George Washington University, and Knox College.

Crowe has received four Defense Distinguished Service Medals and following his retirement from the Navy he was awarded a 2000 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor.

[edit] Trivia

In 1989, Crowe made an appearance on one episode the TV sitcom Cheers, where he played himself [1].

[edit] Military awards

[edit] External links

Preceded by:
John William Vessey Jr.		 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
1985–1989		 Succeeded by:
Colin Powell
Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States JCS Logo
Bradley | Radford | Twining | Lemnitzer | Taylor | Wheeler | Moorer | Brown | Jones | Vessey | Crowe | Powell | Jeremiah (acting) | Shalikashvili | Shelton | Myers | Pace
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