James Forrestal

James Forrestal
US Government · Public domain · source
Name	James Forrestal
Caption	Forrestal c. 1945
Office	1st United States Secretary of Defense
President	Harry S. Truman
Term start	September 17, 1947
Term end	March 28, 1949
Predecessor	Office established
Successor	Louis A. Johnson
Office1	48th United States Secretary of the Navy
President1	Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman
Term start1	May 19, 1944
Term end1	September 17, 1947
Predecessor1	Frank Knox
Successor1	John L. Sullivan
Birth date	February 15, 1892
Birth place	Beacon, New York, U.S.
Death date	May 22, 1949 (aged 57)
Death place	Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Josephine Ogden
Education	Dartmouth College, Princeton University (attended)
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Serviceyears	1917–1919
Rank	Lieutenant (junior grade)
Battles	World War I

James Forrestal was an American statesman and the first United States Secretary of Defense. A key figure in the Navy Department during World War II, he oversaw the massive wartime expansion of the United States Navy and later played a central role in shaping the nation's early Cold War defense establishment. His tenure was marked by intense bureaucratic struggles and personal strain, culminating in his tragic death shortly after leaving office.

Early life and education

Born in Beacon, New York, he was the son of an Irish immigrant. He attended Dartmouth College for a year before transferring to Princeton University, where he edited the Daily Princetonian but left in 1915 just before graduation. He then worked as a reporter for New York newspapers, including the New York World, before enlisting in the United States Navy following the U.S. entry into World War I.

Business career

After the war, he entered the world of Wall Street, joining the investment bank William A. Read and Company, which later became Dillon, Read & Co.. He demonstrated exceptional skill in bond trading and corporate finance, rising to become president of the firm in 1938. His work involved significant dealings with major industrial corporations and European governments, establishing him as a prominent figure in American finance.

Government service

In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him as a special administrative assistant, and later that year he became the Under Secretary of the Navy. In this role, he was instrumental in mobilizing American industrial production for naval rearmament, working closely with entities like the United States Maritime Commission and overseeing contracts with companies such as Bethlehem Steel and Newport News Shipbuilding.

Secretary of the Navy

He succeeded the deceased Frank Knox as the 48th United States Secretary of the Navy in May 1944. He managed the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps through the final, climactic years of World War II, including the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Battle of Iwo Jima, and the Battle of Okinawa. A fierce advocate for naval aviation, he championed the carrier-centric fleet that proved decisive in the Pacific War.

Secretary of Defense

With the passage of the National Security Act of 1947, he was appointed by President Harry S. Truman as the first United States Secretary of Defense. His tenure was defined by the immense challenge of unifying the rival Army, Navy, and the newly independent United States Air Force. He grappled with severe budget constraints, the Berlin Blockade, the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and fierce interservice rivalry, particularly over control of nuclear weapons and the "Revolt of the Admirals."

Death and legacy

Exhausted and suffering from severe depression, he resigned in March 1949 and was admitted to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. On May 22, 1949, he died after falling from a window of the hospital; his death was ruled a suicide. The first class of "supercarriers" was named in his honor, with the lead ship, USS ''Forrestal'', commissioned in 1955. The James V. Forrestal Building in Washington, D.C., serves as the headquarters of the United States Department of Energy.

Category:1892 births Category:1949 deaths Category:United States Secretaries of Defense Category:United States Secretaries of the Navy