Nimitz, Chester Williams (1885–1966)

World War II Pacific Fleet Commander

Chester Nimitz was an Allied theater commander in the Pacific Ocean as well as commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific fleet during World War II. Well known for his strategic sense and quiet but firm leadership, Nimitz became an American hero as much for the type of military leader he represented as for his victories in the field.

Nimitz was born on February 24, 1885, in Fredericksburg, Texas. His father died before he was born, and Nimitz was raised by his mother and paternal grandfather. He grew up helping out at his family's hotel while working to complete his own schooling, and he seemed destined to lead an undistinguished small town life until he met two newly minted U.S. Army second lieutenants, recent graduates of the Military Academy. The Texas allotment for West Point was already filled, however, so young Chester set his sights on the Naval Academy, took the difficult qualifying examinations though not yet a high school senior, and won his district's appointment to Annapolis in 1901.

Despite having to make up his missing high school credits, Nimitz excelled through hard work, graduating seventh in a class of 114 in 1905. After serving in the Pacific fleet aboard a battleship and a cruiser, he commanded a gunboat and a destroyer. The relative shortage of junior officers at that time allowed him to emerge relatively unscathed from what might otherwise have been a career-ending incident in 1908 when he ran his destroyer aground on a Philippine mud bank. Nimitz subsequently demonstrated great patience with his subordinates, one of the hallmarks of his command style. He was next transferred to submarines, where he earned a reputation as an engineering expert, particularly in diesel engines. During World War I, he served as the chief of staff to the U.S. Navy commander of submarines in the Atlantic Ocean, Adm. Samuel S. Robison, who became Nimitz's friend and mentor.

Under Robison's influence, Nimitz changed his focus from engineering to personnel and organizational management. Shortly thereafter his skills were put to the test when he was assigned to oversee construction of a submarine base at Pearl Harbor. He later commanded a destroyer division, the cruiser Augusta, and a battleship division, but his time as naval ROTC superintendent at Berkeley (California) as well as two stints in the Bureau of Navigation, which oversaw personnel assignments throughout the service, most honed his skills at judging character, building organizations, and leading men.

Nimitz was a logical choice to take command, then, when Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt decided on a major highlevel shake-up in the Pacific after the Japanese surprise attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Nimitz was appointed commander in chief, U.S. Pacific fleet, passing over more than 50 admirals with seniority. The position was restructured after Pearl Harbor to include responsibility for all American naval vessels and personnel in the entire Pacific theater, including those under U.S. Army or British command in the waters of East Asia and the Antipodes. Soon thereafter Nimitz was also made commander in chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, the theater commander for the North, Central, and South Pacific Ocean Areas.

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