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Admiral William ("Bull") Frederick Halsey, Jr.

"I never trust a fighting man who doesnt smoke or drink."
Attributed to Admiral William Halsey, courtesy Lexmark Corp. Quotation Server.

Halsey, William Frederick, Jr. (1882-1959), was one of the leading United States naval commanders during World War II. General Douglas MacArthur called Halsey "the greatest fighting admiral" of World War II.

Halsey became vice-admiral in command of a Pacific carrier division in 1940. He commanded this division in attacks on the Gilbert and Marshall Islands and on Wake Island and Marcus Island in February, 1942. Later in 1942, he took command of U. S. naval forces in the South Pacific. In a series of bloody battles, his forces defeated the Japanese in the Solomon Islands. This victory enabled American land forces to occupy the entire island chain. During this period, Halsey also supported the opening offensives of General MacArthur in the Southwest Pacific. Halsey took command of the Third Fleet on June 15, 1944. In the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October, 1944, Halsey's fleet and Admiral Thomas Kincaid's Seventh Fleet smashed the Japanese Navy and virtually eliminated it from the war.

The Japanese later signed the surrender on Halsey's flagship, the battleship Missouri . Halsey was born in Elizabeth, N. J., and was graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1904. (Excerpt courtesy World Book Encyclopedia, 1986.)

Halsey and the University of Virginia

Halsey entered the University of Virginia medical school in 1899. At that time it was possible to study medicine with just a high school diploma. He was a member of the Delta Psi fraternity. His academic career was not especially distinguished.

Nevertheless, his stay at U. Va. was not without incident. As described by E. B. Potter:

"Bill's habitual tendency to neglect his studies was heightened by infatuation with football. He wasn't good enough to make the varsity, but from time to time the coaches let him play with the second team. In the final practice before an important Georgetown game, he was with the scrubs, at left end. A play came toward him. Bill gave it the old college try, and by some miracle he was chiefly instrumental in stopping it. When the players were untangled, the star Virginia quarterback was found to have a broken leg. Bill's teammates were faced with a question not unknown in warfare: Do we court-martial this guy or give him the Medal of Honor? The student body would gladly have hanged Bill, but the coach let him go to Washington with the team. Many years later Halsey wrote in his autobiography, 'Most stories like this end with the despised scrub redeeming himself by the winning touchdown. My story is an exception. I didn't even get into the game.'"

Halsey left the University of Virginia to enter the Naval Academy in 1900. He returned to the University in 1947 as chairman of a University fund raising campaign, a post which he held for about three years.

Further Reading

Potter, E. B. Bull Halsey, a biography . Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1985.
This book may be purchased by mail from the U. S. Naval Academy Museum. The above quote is on page 26.

"Naval hero's days at UVa were less than smooth sailing" by David A. Maurer. Daily Progress (Charlottesville VA), March 14, 1999. (local copy)

"Halsey also captained UVa's helm" by David A. Maurer. Daily Progress (Charlottesville VA), March 21, 1999. (local copy)

"Bull" Halsey on the web

Grolier Encyclopedia's WW II Commemoration
War in the Central and Northern Pacific
Battle For Leyte Gulf, Philippines (local copy)

U. S. Government Sources
The Battle of Bougainville, by Lorraine Ramsdell, USNR. (local copy)
Battle for Leyte Gulf
"Back to the Philippines," by Heike Hasenauer. Appearing in Soldiers, v. 49, no. 10 (October 1994). (local copy)
Naval News Service story, dated June 16, 1993. (local copy)
History of the USS Iowa from Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, by James L. Mooney. (local copy)

The statistics webmaster will be happy to post any reminisces about Admiral Halsey. Please submit them to webman@www.stat.virginia.edu. Comments about this page and suggestions for its improvement are also most welcome. (All postings must be attributed.)

Contributed anecdotes about Admiral Halsey

Halsey Hall , currently the home of the University of Virginia Department of Statistics, is the former Naval ROTC building. The two white anchors in its front are painted pink every spring. Army ROTC cadets are suspected. Fortunately, the University repaints them each year in preparation for graduation ceremonies.

The Department of Statistics has several unclassified research projects supported by the Office of Naval Research. See our page on tracking Arctic sea ice for a description of one of them.

Halsey's 1899 application for admission to the University of Virginia. (Courtesy Alderman Library, University of Virginia.)

Halsey standing in front of the Rotunda at the University of Virginia. The Rotunda is the center of Thomas Jefferson's plan for the University of Virginia. (Photograph courtesy Alderman Library, University of Virginia.)