Ernest J. King | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 1945 | |
| Nickname(s) |
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| Born | 23 November 1878 Lorain, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | 25 June 1956 (aged 77) Kittery, Maine, U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1901–1956 |
| Rank | Fleet admiral |
| Commands | |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | |
| Other work | President, Naval Historical Foundation |
Ernest Joseph King (23 November 1878 – 25 June 1956) was a fleet admiral in the United States Navy who served as Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (COMINCH) and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) during World War II. He was the U.S. Navy's second-most senior officer in World War II after Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, who served as Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief. He directed the United States Navy's operations, planning, and administration and was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Combined Chiefs of Staff.
King graduated fourth in the United States Naval Academy class of 1901. He received his first command in 1914, of the destroyer USS Terry in the occupation of Veracruz. During World War I, he served on the staff of Vice Admiral Henry T. Mayo, the commander in chief of the Atlantic Fleet. After the war, King was the head of the Naval Postgraduate School and commanded submarine divisions. He directed the salvage of the submarine USS S-51, earning the first of his three Navy Distinguished Service Medals, and later that of the USS S-4. He qualified as a naval aviator in 1927, and was captain of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. He then served as Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics. Following a period on the Navy's General Board, he became commander in chief of the Atlantic Fleet in February 1941. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, King was appointed as COMINCH, and in March 1942, he succeeded Admiral Harold R. Stark as CNO, holding these two positions for the duration of the war. He also commanded the Tenth Fleet, which played an important role in the fight against the German U-boats in the Second Battle of the Atlantic. He participated in the top-level Allied World War II conferences, and took the lead in formulating the strategy of the Pacific War. In December 1944, he became the second admiral to be promoted to the new rank of fleet admiral. He left active duty in December 1945 and died in Kittery, Maine, in 1956.