Edward J. O'Donnell (military)

Edward J. O'Donnell
O'Donnell as a Captain in the 1950s
Born	(1907-04-13)April 13, 1907 Boston, Massachusetts, US
Died	December 9, 1991(1991-12-09) (aged 84) Monterey, California, US
Buried	United States Naval Academy Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1929–1967
Rank	Rear Admiral
Commands	Destroyer Division 32 Naval Forces in Germany USS George Clymer USS New Jersey Destroyer Flotilla 6 Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Battles / wars	World War II Korean War Cuban Missile Crisis
Awards	Legion of Merit Gold Star in lieu of the Second Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal Gold Star lieu Second Bronze Star Medal, Combat "V" Letter of Commendation (SecNav) (Ribbon), Letter of Commendation (ComSoPac) (Bronze Star and Combat "V") Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four stars European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one star
Alma mater	United States Naval Academy (BS) Naval Postgraduate School (Ordnance engineering)
Spouse(s)	LTJG Ruth Eleanor Hall (USN, ret.) ​ ​ (m. 1944; died 1980)​ Jeannette C. Carns ​ (m. 1981)​

Edward Joseph O'Donnell (April 13, 1907 – December 9, 1991) was an American naval officer. He commanded the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base from December 1960 to 1963, during which the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred. He then served as senior navy member of the Military Studies and Liaison division at The Pentagon and superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School before retiring as a rear admiral in 1967. After retirement, O'Donnell was president of the New York Maritime College until 1972.

Born in Boston, he graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1929. He then served on various naval ships before taking command of Destroyer Division 32 in the aftermath of World War II. O'Donnell also commanded the USS George Clymer and USS New Jersey. He died in 1991.