Henry Braid Wilson

Wilson was a native of Camden, New Jersey. He joined the United States Navy in the latter part of the nineteenth century and continued to serve for over forty years. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1881, His assignments included duties as commanding officer of the {{USS|North Dakota|BB-29|6}}, inspector, senior inspector and president of the Board of Inspection and Survey from November 1913 until May 1916, and commanding officer of the {{USS|Pennsylvania|BB-38|6}} in 1916.

During World War I, he served as commander, Patrol Forces, Atlantic Fleet and then commander, U.S. Naval Forces, France.{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/a/account-operations-american-navy-france-during-war-germany.html|title=Account of the Operations of the American Navy in France During the War with Germany}} After the World War he served as Commander-In-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet 1919–1921, Commander-In-Chief of the U.S. Battle Fleet and later superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy 1921–1925. Two notable students of his at the academy were cadets and future Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, class of 1922, and Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, class of 1923. Wilson retired in 1925, following forty-four years of service.

Wilson died in 1954 in New York City; at the time of his death he was the oldest living admiral of the U.S. Navy. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.{{cite web |url=https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgZXaWxzb24SBUhlbnJ5GgFC/ |title=Wilson, Henry B |website=ANC Explorer |publisher=U.S. Army |access-date=2020-01-18}}

Wilson's son-in-law was Hoover Administration Secretary of War and Major General Patrick J. Hurley.

• {{USS|Henry B. Wilson|DDG-7}}, a guided missile destroyer, was named for him.
• A portion of U.S. Route 30 in New Jersey passing through Camden, New Jersey is named Admiral Wilson Boulevard.

{{commons category|Henry Braid Wilson}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20061005054622/http://www.cffc.navy.mil/history.htm History of the Fleet Forces Command, formerly the U.S. Atlantic Fleet]
• [http://www.dvrbs.com/people/CamdenPeople-AdmiralHBWilsonJr.htm Camden People - Admiral Henry Braid Wilson Jr.]
• [https://camdenhistory.com/people/admiral-henry-b-wilson-jr CamdenHistory.com - Admiral Henry B. Wilson Jr.]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20040327112050/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h5/henry_b_wilson.htm short bio from DANFS]
• [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/battlesh/bb38.htm DANFS History of U.S.S. Pennsylvania BB-38]
• INSERV Presidents [https://web.archive.org/web/20051216164931/http://www.spawar.navy.mil/fleet/insurv/history.htm]
• US Navy Biography of Admiral Henry B. Wilson [https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/research-guides/modern-biographical-files-ndl/modern-bios-w/wilson-henry-braid.html]

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{{succession box | before=Archibald H. Scales| title=Superintendent of United States Naval Academy | years=1921–1925 | after=Louis M. Nulton}}

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before=Henry T. Mayo|

title=Commander in Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet|

after=Hilary P. Jones|

years=July, 1919–June, 1921}}

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Category:1861 births

Category:1954 deaths

Category:Military personnel from Camden, New Jersey

Category:United States Naval Academy alumni

Category:American military personnel of the Spanish–American War

Category:United States Navy World War I admirals

Category:United States Navy admirals

Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)

Category:Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal

Category:Superintendents of the United States Naval Academy

Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery