Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr.

Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. (1920-2000)

Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., of Arlington, Virginia, was a retired Admiral with the United States Navy and a former member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Born on November 29, 1920 in San Francisco, California, Admiral Zumwalt graduated from the United States Naval Academy and became both the youngest four-star admiral in history and the youngest person ever to serve as Chief of Naval Operations. He was Commander of United States Naval Forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970, where he served with his son, Naval Officer Elmo Zumwalt III. In 1988, Admiral Zumwalt's son died of cancer related to contact with Agent Orange in Vietnam. My Father, My Son was co-authored in 1986, by Admiral Zumwalt and his late son, and is an account of their Vietnam experiences and the tragedy that resulted. Admiral Zumwalt retired from the Navy in 1974, and served as a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. He was a Director of a number of corporations, including Dallas Semiconductor, Magellan Aerospace and NL Industries. He was a founder of and served as Chairman of the Marrow Foundation. He also was a member of the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, the Hudson Institute, and the Council of Foreign Relations. In 1998, the President of the United States awarded Admiral Zumwalt the Medal of Freedom, the nation�s highest civilian honor.

Admiral Zumwalt passed away on January 2, 2000. He was a patriot and a gentleman.