Louise Currie Wilmot

{{Infobox military person

|name= Louise Currie Wilmot

|image= RADM Louise C. Wilmot.jpg

|image_size=

|alt=

|caption= Rear Admiral Louise Currie Wilmot

|nickname=

|birth_date= {{birth date and age|1942|12|31}}

|birth_place= Wayne, New Jersey

|death_date=

|death_place=

|placeofburial=

|allegiance= United States

|branch= United States Navy

|serviceyears= 1964–1994

|rank= Rear Admiral

|unit=

|commands= Philadelphia Naval Base
Naval Training Center Orlando
Navy Recruiting Area Five, Great Lakes
Navy Recruiting District, Omaha

|battles=

|awards= Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit (4)
Meritorious Service Medal
Joint Services Commendation Medal

|relations=

|laterwork= Deputy Executive Director, Catholic Relief Services

}}

Rear Admiral Louise Currie Wilmot (born December 31, 1942) is a retired United States Navy officer who was the first woman to command a United States Naval base. When she retired after 30 years of service, she was the highest ranking female naval officer in the United States.

Early life

Raised in Wayne, New Jersey, Wilmot attended Wayne Valley High School and earned a degree in history from the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morris Township, New Jersey, in 1964.[https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/man-findingaids/view.php?f=MS_414 Louise C. Wilmot Papers, 1918–1999 (bulk 1964–1997): Finding Aid], United States Naval Academy, October 2010. Accessed February 27, 2018. "Louise Currie Wilmot was born on December 31, 1942 in Wayne, New Jersey to Woodrow and Dorothy Currie. After completing high school, Wilmot attended the College of Saint Elizabeth, graduating in June 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts in History."

Navy career

  • Commanding Officer, Navy Recruiting District, Omaha (1979–)
  • Commander of the Navy Recruiting Area Five in Great Lakes, Michigan (1985–)
  • Executive Assistant and Naval Aide to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs
  • Vice Chief of Naval Education and Training in Pensacola, Florida
  • Commander of the Naval Training Center in Orlando, Florida (1989–)
  • Commanding Officer, Naval Base Philadelphia (1993–1994)

Wilmot retired in 1994. She was the highest ranking female Naval officer at that time.

Awards and decorations

Education

Wilmot earned a master's degree from George Washington University in 1978 and was recognized with the GW Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1994.

Post-navy career

Following retirement Wilmot joined Catholic Relief Services as deputy executive director of public outreach.

Wilmot's papers are kept by the Special Collections and Archives Department of the United States Naval Academy.{{cite web|url=http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/wilmot/index.html |title=Guide to the Louise C. Wilmot Papers, 1918; 1964-1999 |accessdate=2011-08-22 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921052316/http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findingaids/wilmot/index.html |archivedate=2012-09-21 }}

See also

References

{{reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{Cite book |last=Godson |first=Susan H. |title=Serving Proudly: A history of Women in the U.S. Navy |year=2001 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, MD |isbn=1-55750-317-6 |oclc=46791080 }}
  • {{Cite book |last=Ebbert |first=Jean and Marie-Beth Hall|title=Crossed Currents: Navy Women in a Century of Change [Third Edition, Revised and Updated] |year=1999 |publisher=Brassey's |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=978-1-57488-193-6 |oclc=41090799}}
  • {{Cite journal| last = Fagenson-Eland| first = Ellen|author2=Pamela J. Kidder| title = A conversation with rear admiral Louise Wilmot: Taking the lead and leading the way| journal = Organizational Dynamics| volume = 28| issue = 3| pages = 80–91| publisher = Elsevier| date = Winter 2000| doi = 10.1016/S0090-2616(00)88451-X}}