Lee J. Baggett Jr. (January 11, 1927 – August 10, 1999) was a

four star admiral Military star ranking is military terminology, used to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10. Star ranking One–star A one–star rank is usually the lowest ranking general or flag ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

who served as Commander in Chief Europe in 1985 and Commander in Chief of the

United States Atlantic Command United States Atlantic Command (acronym from 1947-1993 USLANTCOM, after 1993 USACOM) was a Unified Combatant Command of the United States Department of Defense. In 1999, U.S. Atlantic Command was renamed and given a new mission as United St ...

from 1985 to 1988. A native of Oxford, Mississippi, Baggett studied civil engineering at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

for two years before entering the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) 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 Secretary of ...

. He was commissioned in 1950 after earning his B.S. degree. Baggett later received an M.S. degree in nuclear physics from the

Naval Postgraduate School The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ci ...

. His May 1958 thesis entitled ''π⁻-p Elastic Scattering and Single Pion Production at 0.939 Bev/c'' was based on research conducted at the Radiation Laboratory of the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. Baggett also studied at the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

. A career surface warfare officer, Baggett commanded two minesweepers and two guided missile destroyers. As a vice admiral, he served as

commander, Naval Surface Force Pacific Commander, Naval Surface Force Pacific (COMNAVSURFPAC) is a United States Navy vice admiral, who leads the Naval Surface Force, United States Pacific Fleet. The commander is also designated as commander, Naval Surface Force (COMNAVSURFOR), a "du ...

from May 1979 to July 1982. Baggett died in 1999 of heart disease. He was interred at

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a federal military cemetery in the city of San Diego, California. It is located on the grounds of the former Army coastal artillery station Fort Rosecrans and is administered by the United States Department ...

Awards and decorations

References

1927 births 1999 deaths People from Oxford, Mississippi University of Mississippi alumni United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy personnel of the Korean War University of California, Berkeley alumni Naval Postgraduate School alumni Naval War College alumni United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Distinguished Service Order (Vietnam) Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Navy admirals Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Burials at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery {{US-navy-bio-stub