Arthur Lee Willard (February 21, 1870 – April 7, 1935) was a

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

who served his nation in two wars and was awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

. He was also awarded the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

by the French government and the

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

by the King of

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

.''Adair County's War Record: From Pioneer Days To And Including 1942'', by Paul O. Selby, 1943

Early life and education

Willard was born in

Kirksville, Missouri Kirksville is the county seat of and most populous city in Adair County, Missouri, United States. Located in Benton Township, Adair County, Missouri, Benton Township, its population was 17,530 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Kirk ...

, the son of Anna and Lewis A. Willard, a small-town merchant. After receiving his primary and secondary education in Kirksville schools, he attended the First District Normal School (now known as

Truman State University Truman State University (TSU or Truman) is a Public university, public Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Kirksville, Missouri, United States. It had 3,664 enrolled students in the fall of 2024 pursuing degrees in 55 undergraduate ...

) in Kirksville beginning in 1883. He left the Normal School just months prior to graduation, as he had been accepted to the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

, where he graduated in 1891.

Career

Arthur Willard's long and distinguished naval career very nearly ended before it had chance to begin. In 1888 the U.S. Naval Academy was rocked by a

hazing Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...

scandal that involved Third Class Cadet Willard. He along with fifteen other cadets were expelled from the academy, however the intercession of Missouri Congressman Willam M. Hatch on his behalf caused President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

to order Willard's reinstatement. Making the most of his second chance, Ensign Willard gained positive notoriety during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. While serving on the gunboat , on May 11, 1898, he led a shore party and in the face of enemy fire planted the U.S. flag on a Spanish blockhouse overlooking Diana Bay near Cardenas, Cuba. For this exploit he received a $100 prize offered by the

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the '' New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. Hi ...

to the first serviceman to raise the American flag on Cuban soil. In addition the Missouri legislature presented Willard with a jeweled officers sword. Following his Cuban adventure, Willard's career advanced rapidly by the day's standards. By 1905 he held the rank of full lieutenant and was stationed aboard the during which time he was a participant in the around-the-world journey of the

Great White Fleet The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the group of United States Navy battleships that completed a journey around the globe from 16 December 1907, to 22 February 1909, by order of President Foreign policy of the Theodore Roosevelt ...

. In 1913 Arthur Willard received his first ship command, the . It proved to be an exciting one as the ''Hancock'' participated in several instances of

gunboat diplomacy Gunboat diplomacy is the pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of naval power, implying or constituting a direct threat of warfare should terms not be agreeable to the superior force. The term originated in ...

under his captaincy, including landing US Marines at

Vera Cruz, Mexico Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

in 1914. America's entry into

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in April, 1917 saw a great need for more naval armament. However many delays were occurring in the ordnance factories at

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is a ceremonial and administrative center for the United States Navy, located in the federal national capital city of Washington, D.C. (federal District of Columbia). It is the oldest shore establishment / base of ...

. Now holding the rank of captain, Willard was brought in as new commandant and promptly put things in order. It was for this invaluable service that Willard was awarded the

by President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

. Below is the citation for his award:

''The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Captain Arthur Lee Willard, United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility as Superintendent of the Naval Gun Factory, which, under his command, was rapidly expanded to meet the extraordinary demands created by the war, and so efficiently administered as to maintain a steady flow of absolutely essential ordnance material to the service.''

In addition to his Navy Cross, Captain Willard was also honored by France with the Legion of Honor, and the Order of Leopold by the King of Belgium. Following his service at Washington Navy Yard, Captain Willard returned to sea duty as commander of the battleship in 1919. Renewed problems with naval armaments saw Willard assigned as Special Aide for Navy Yards to the Secretary of the Navy in 1921. In this capacity he was in charge of all US Navy industrial plants and shipbuilding on the eastern US coast. In 1930, now holding the rank of

vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

, Willard was assigned as commander of a series of US fleet exercises that validated the increasing importance of aircraft carriers and attacks launched from beyond battleship gun range.''Time'' magazine, March 2, 1931 & April 4, 1932 These fleet exercises also inspired the creation of a two-ocean navy in the 1930s by the Roosevelt administration. In 1932 Vice Admiral Willard was chosen to command the Fifth Naval District, a post which he held until retirement shortly before his death on April 7, 1935. He is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

. Willard Park, located at Washington Navy Yard, is named in his honor. Admiral Willard was a companion of the

Naval Order of the United States The Naval Order of the United States was established in 1890 as a hereditary organization in the United States for members of the American sea services. Its primary mission is to encourage research and writing on naval and maritime subjects and p ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Willard, Arthur L. United States Navy admirals 1870 births 1935 deaths People from Kirksville, Missouri Truman State University alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Navy personnel of World War I