--- title: "The highest ranking US military officer in World War II isn’t who you think" description: "You know Patton, Eisenhower, and Halsey from the history books, but everyone answers to someone, and they answered to William Leahy." date: "2022-09-22" modified: "2026-02-25" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/the-highest-ranking-us-military-officer-in-world-war-ii-isnt-who-you-think/" categories: - "History" - "War History" - "World War II" tags: - "America250" - "Famous Veterans" - "Military History" - "World War II" --- # The highest ranking US military officer in World War II isn’t who you think ![https://www.wearethemighty.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Admiral_William_D._Leahy_right_shakes_hands_with_Admiral_Joseph_M._Reeves_NH_47298.jpg]() *Hot damn, that is one salty-looking sailor. (Bettman/Corbis)* World War II history is filled with an unending list of famous names, many of whom are the generals and flag officers who planned and led the war to its now well-known conclusion. High-ranking military officers like George S. Patton, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and William “Bull” Halsey went from dominating the headlines to dominating the history books forever. **Also Read: [These are the 9 general officers who earned 5 stars]()** But everyone has to answer to someone, and as far as U.S. military personnel were concerned, even the Supreme Allied Commander had a boss. Ike might have been the last word in the European Theater while Adm. Chester Nimitz and Gen. Douglas MacArthur commanded the Pacific, but they had to answer to their own boss back in Washington. And that boss was Fleet Admiral William Leahy, known to many as “The Second Most Powerful Man in the World.” ![william leahy highest ranking WWII officer in bicorn hat]() *This man took command when the Navy still wore bicorn hats, for crying out loud. (Naval History and Heritage Command)* Leahy, one of the longest-serving naval officers ever to serve in the U.S. Navy, almost never even joined the Navy. He originally [wanted to attend West Point]() (and don't let anyone tell you different). His congressman only had appointments to the U.S. Naval Academy, however, and the rest soon became history. Leahy graduated from Annapolis in 1897 and went on to serve in every major American war in his lifetime, as well as the minor conflicts. During the [Spanish-American War](), he commanded the front battery of the USS Oregon during the Battle of Santiago in Cuba. He was aboard the gunboat USS Castine in Shanghai when the Boxer Rebellion broke out in 1899. Leahy’s next post was aboard Castine in the Philippines, where the Philippine-American War was ongoing. Leahy was a naval officer during the Banana Wars, participating in the occupations of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua before World War I. It was during the First World War that he commanded a troop ship and became the U.S. Navy’s director of Gunnery. After the war ended, he finally put on flag rank in 1927. ![Naval Cadet William D. Leahy aboard the USS Oregon during the 1898 Battle of Santiago. ]() *Naval Cadet William D. Leahy aboard the USS Oregon during the 1898 Battle of Santiago. (Naval History and Heritage Command)* Throughout his naval career, he learned a lot of important lessons in combat and leadership. He was appalled at the indiscriminate use of naval artillery in Cuba, the widespread use of torture in the Philippines, and the German Army’s use of long-range artillery to bombard Paris during World War I. He considered all of these actions barbaric and cruel. When he was tasked with implementing the limitations of naval construction after World War I, he was equally shocked at how canceling the construction of planned naval ships forced people out of work during the Great Depression. When [Franklin D. Roosevelt]() was reelected president in 1936, Leahy was appointed Chief of Naval Operations and enthusiastically accepted. As the chief, he met with Roosevelt frequently, and the two formed a close friendship that went beyond their duties. The two agreed that, in the face of Japan's invasion of China, the U.S. should resume building warships. At the end of his tenure as CNO, Roosevelt appointed Leahy first as Governor of Puerto Rico and then as Ambassador to France. While Leahy was in France, however, the French government fell to the Nazis. Leahy could not convince the Vichy government to remain in the Allied camp, so he was recalled to Washington, where the president had another role in mind: active duty. The U.S. was soon embroiled in World War II, and Leahy’s new title was Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, essentially the country’s first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. ![william leahy president taft NHC]() *The first president Leahy (pictured at right) served, however, was William Howard Taft. (Navy Historical Center).* As chairman, Leahy did not agree with the British Mediterranean Strategy, but supported his friend and boss, President Roosevelt, in the decision to invade North Africa. Together with the other Chiefs of Staff, he advocated for a planned cross-channel invasion of Europe in 1944. Before long, Leahy was Roosevelt’s most trusted advisor. In December 1944, Leahy was promoted to Fleet Admiral, the Navy’s five-star rank, the first Navy officer to hold the position. When Roosevelt died, President Harry S. Truman kept Leahy on in the same role. The old admiral would stay on active duty until 1949, more than 40 years of service to his country. He died ten years later. ### Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty **• [The reason Gen. George Patton is buried in Luxembourg]()** **• [When Patton met MacArthur in the mud of St. Mihiel]()** **• [3 Stories from the Battle of the Bulge you won’t see in ‘Band of Brothers’]()** ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()