About this ebook
Leahy was recalled to active duty as personal Chief of Staff to FDR in 1942 and chaired the Joint Chiefs of Staff throughout World War II. He continued as personal Chief of Staff under President Harry S. Truman until his retirement in 1949.
“This is probably the definitive biography of Admiral Leahy... Adams has worked hard on this book: it is well written, well researched and comprehensive.” — James Leutze, The American Historical Review
“[A] workmanlike and overdue biography of a naval officer too long relegated to the shadows... Biographer Adams reminds us that the reticent admiral was a truly unique figure... The author relates that Leahy once told an aide that when asked about him the aide should, ‘Tell him anything so long as it’s the truth.’ Professor Adams has heeded that admonition and while the result isn’t racy, it is certainly sound.” — Richard S. Cloward, Naval War College Review
“Henry Adams has produced an excellent and much needed chronicle of a man generally ignored during most of his active life by the mass media. In addition, the book is enjoyable to read.” — Burton Wright, Armed Forces & Society
About the author
Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Henry Hitch Adams (1917-2002) received his BA from the University of Michigan in 1939 and his MA and PhD from Columbia University in 1940 and 1942. He served in the US Navy in the Pacific during World War II on the destroyer escort USS Owen, and retired from the Naval Reserve in 1977 as a Captain.
Adams taught at Cornell University from 1945 until 1951 and then joined the US Naval Academy where he was Assistant, Associate, and full Professor from 1951 until 1968. While at the Naval Academy, he became a noted military historian, a member of the International Order of Military Historians. Among his many books on World War II are biographies of Harry Hopkins and Fleet Admiral William Leahy. He co-authored the textbook Sea Power: A Naval History.
In 1968, Adams became chairman of the English department of Illinois State University. In 1973, Adams retired from teaching and with his wife, started a travel agency and began two decades of world travel. In 1978, he helped establish the Academy of Senior Professionals at Eckerd College in St Petersburg, Florida.
