James L. Kauffman

James Laurence Kauffman
Born (1887-04-18)18 April 1887
Ohio
Died 21 October 1963(1963-10-21) (aged 76)
Bethesda, Maryland
Buried United States Naval Academy Cemetery
Allegiance  United States of America
Service/branch  United States Navy
Years of service 1909 – 1949
Rank Vice Admiral
Commands held USS Rainier
USS Jenkins (DD-42)
USS Barney (DD-149)
USS Memphis (CL-13)
Battles/wars World War I
World War II
Awards Navy Cross
Relations RADM Draper Laurence Kauffman (son)

James Laurence Kauffman (18 April 1887 – 21 October 1963) was a United States Navy Vice Admiral and recipient of the Navy Cross. He and his son Rear Admiral Draper Laurence Kauffman were the namesakes of USS Kauffman (FFG-59).

Biography

Born in Ohio on 18 April 1887, James Laurence Kauffman was a native of Miamisburg, Ohio,[1] attended Pennsylvania Military College, the Army and Navy Preparatory School, and graduated in 1908 from the United States Naval Academy.[2]

He held a variety of wide-ranging command billets, ashore and afloat, during World War I. Serving in command of the gunboat USS Rainier, as an Executive Officer of the destroyer USS Caldwell (DD-69), he became Lieutenant Commander on 1 January 1918. He transferred from the Caldwell to command the Bath-built USS Jenkins (DD-42). Admiral Kauffman, during his career, spent more time in command, and more time at sea, than any other officer of his time.[2]

At the end of the war, Kauffman returned to the U.S. to commission and command a new ship, the USS Barney (DD-149). In November 1920, he became the Executive Officer of the new Radio Division of the Bureau of Engineering. In May 1923, he was appointed Naval Aide and Flag Secretary to Admiral Samuel S. Robison, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Fleet.[2]

In June 1925, Kauffman was selected to the rank of Commander. His next tour of duty was as a member of the U.S. Naval Mission to Brazil. Appointed Captain in 1936, Kauffman served as Commanding Officer of the USS Memphis (CL-13), and later at the shipyard at Mare Island.[2]

In 1941, Rear Admiral Kauffman was sent by President Roosevelt to establish and command a Naval Operating Base in Iceland, (Hvalfjörður). In 1942, as the principal Navy anti-submarine expert, he commanded the Gulf Sea Frontier, which included the Gulf of Mexico north to the shore of the Carolinas. Under his dynamic leadership, the U-boat menace in that area was checked. Kauffman later became the senior member of the Allied Anti-Submarine Survey Board, evaluating ASW techniques for Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill. Moving on to the Pacific in 1943, he assumed command of all the Pacific Fleet's cruisers, destroyers and frigates, 401 ships with 150,000 men.[2]

In October 1944, he reported to General Douglas MacArthur as Commander Philippine Sea Frontier. In May 1946, Vice Admiral Kauffman returned home and was assigned to duty as the Commandant of the Fourth Naval District, where he remained until he retired in 1949.[2]

His second career began the day after termination of his first. As the first President of Jefferson Medical College and Jefferson Medical Center, a position he retained for 10 years, he presided over the greatest period of growth in Jefferson's history.[2]

He was married to the former Elizabeth Kelsey Draper (1886 – 1966) for nearly 54 years. Their daughter, Elizabeth Louise, married Prescott S. Bush, Jr., brother of George H. W. Bush. Their son, Rear Admiral Draper Laurence Kauffman, married the former Margaret C. Tuckerman.[2]

Kauffman died of a heart attack 21 October 1963 at Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland.[1] He was buried in Section 3, Lot 414 at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery, Annapolis, Maryland.

Navy Cross

The Navy awarded Kauffman the Navy Cross for actions as Commanding Officer of USS Jenkins (DD-42) during World War I with the following citation:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Commander James Laurence Kauffman, United States Navy, for distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the destroyer U.S.S. Jenkins, engaged in the exacting and hazardous duty of patrolling the waters infested with enemy submarines and mines, and escorting and protecting convoys of troops and supplies.[3]

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Navy document "Namesake USS Kauffman History".

  1. 1 2 "Kauffman, Destroyer Expert, Dies". The Capital. Annapolis, Maryland. 1963-10-22.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "History". Public Domain USS Kauffman (FFG-59). Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  3. ↑ "Military Times Hall of Valor Awards for James Laurence Kauffman". militarytimes.com. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
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