Lyal A. Davidson
{{Short description|United States Navy admiral}}
{{Infobox military person
|name=Lyal A. Davidson
|birth_name= Lyal Ament Davidson
|birth_date= {{birth date|1886|12|02}}
|death_date= {{death date and age|1950|12|29|1886|12|12}}
|birth_place= Muscatine, Iowa
|death_place= Bethesda, Maryland
|placeofburial= Arlington National Cemetery
|placeofburial_label=
|image=ANCExplorer Lyal A. Davidson grave.jpg
|image_size=
|caption=Grave at Arlington National Cemetery
|nickname=
|allegiance= United States of America
|branch= {{flag|United States Navy}}
|serviceyears= 1912–1946
|rank= 24px Vice admiral
|servicenumber=
|commands=
|unit=
|battles=World War I
World War II
|awards= {{ribbon devices|other_device= |number= 1|type= award-star|ribbon= Navy Distinguished Service Medal ribbon.svg|width= 60}} Navy DSM (2)
{{ribbon devices|other_device= |number= 1|type= award-star|ribbon= Legion of Merit ribbon.svg|width= 60}} Legion of Merit (2)
|laterwork=
|signature=
|spouse= Carolyn G. Davidson (1893–1980)
}}
Lyal Ament Davidson (2 December 1886 – 29 December 1950) was a Vice admiral of the United States Navy who served in World War I and World War II. He was a two time recipient of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. He was also the namesake of {{USS|Davidson|FF-1045}}.
Biography
Lyal Ament Davidson was born 2 December 1886 in Muscatine, Iowa to Colonel Joseph T. Davidson (US Army) and Judith (Ament) Davidson. After attending Muscatine High School, he was appointed a Midshipman in 1906. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1910 and was commissioned as an Ensign in 1912, after two years at sea.{{cite news |title=Commission New Destroyer Escort Tuesday Named for Muscatine Native |newspaper= Muscatine, Iowa Journal |date= 6 December 1965 |page= 2}}
Assigned to {{USS|New Hampshire|BB-25}}, Davidson received a commendation for service while on the landing force during the Battle of Vera Cruz in 1914.{{cite news |title= Honorable Mention of Ensign Davidson |newspaper= Muscatine Journal |date= 8 June 1914 |page= 5 |quote= Ensign Davidson is one of six in the third regiment to be given honorable mention for having assisted wounded under fire. }}{{cite journal |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=mVM-AQAAMAAJ&q=davidson&pg=PA744 |first= F. F. |last= Fletcher |title= Naval Gallantry at Vera Cruz |journal= Army-Navy-Air Force Register and Defense Times |volume= 55 |page= 744 |date= 13 June 1914 |quote= … the commander of the third regiment in his report mentions the following officers for assisting wounded while under fire: … L. A. Davidson, U.S. Navy }}
During World War II, Davidson took command of Cruiser Division 8 using {{USS|Philadelphia|CL-41}} as his flagship. He received one Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his leadership during the November 1942 invasion of North Africa, in Morocco.{{cite journal |url= http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/archpdf/ah194305.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150207231427/http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/archpdf/ah194305.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= February 7, 2015 |title= Navy Distinguished Service Medal |journal= All Hands |publisher= United States Navy |page= 55 }}
He received a Legion of Merit for command of a task force during the invasion of Italy in 1943.{{cite web |url= http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=27307 |title= Lyal A. Davidson |website= Military Times Hall of Valor |accessdate= 28 May 2016 }}
He received a second Navy Distinguished Service Medal for command of Task Force 86, aboard {{USS|Augusta|CA-31}}, during the 1944 invasion of Southern France.{{cite journal |url= http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/archpdf/ah194412.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141024075118/http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/archpdf/ah194412.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= October 24, 2014 |title= Navy Distinguished Service Medal |journal= All Hands |publisher= United States Navy |page= 56 }}
He received a second Legion of Merit for his meritorious service in World War II.
After October 1944, he served in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations and then the State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee. He retired as a Vice Admiral in June 1946 and lived in Washington DC. Davidson died after a lengthy illness at Bethesda Naval Hospital on 29 December 1950. He was survived by his wife and three children. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on 4 January 1951, section 2, grave 4695-A. His wife Carolyn was buried there as well, after her death in 1980.{{cite web |url= http://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/ancweb.html |title= Lyal A. Davidson Burial Details |publisher= ancexplorer.army.mil |accessdate= 29 May 2016 |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20160807132631/http://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/ancweb.html |archivedate= 7 August 2016 }}
Awards and honors
- Distinguished Service Medal (United States Navy) (2)
- Legion of Merit (2)
- Honorary Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB), United Kingdom{{cite news |title= Adm. Lyal A. Davidson Dies in Bethesda, MD. |newspaper= Newport Daily News |date= 3 January 1951 |page= 2 }}
- Legion of Honour, France
- On 7 December 1965, {{USS|Davidson|FF-1045}} was commissioned and was named in his honor.{{cite news |title= New Navy Ship to Carry Name of Muscatine Native |first= Walter |last= Russell |newspaper= Muscatine Journal |date= 1 October 1964 |page= 2 }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CghEYXZpZHNvbhIETHlhbA--/ ANC Explore]
- {{cite web |url= http://www.lib.umich.edu/faculty-history/faculty/lyal-ament-davidson |title= Lyal Ament Davidson |website= lib.umich.edu |accessdate= 29 May 2016}}
- {{cite web |url= http://www.lib.umich.edu/faculty-history/faculty/lyal-ament-davidson/sea-or-ashore-nrotc-chairman-has-trained-men |title= At Sea Or Ashore, NROTC Chairman Has Trained Men |website= lib.umich.edu |accessdate= 29 May 2016 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
- [http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=adgedge&id=I21 Lyal Davidson] on rootsweb, contains a list of source citations / research notes.
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Lyal Ament}}
Category:People from Muscatine, Iowa
Category:United States Navy vice admirals
Category:United States Naval Academy alumni
Category:American military personnel of the Banana Wars
Category:United States Navy personnel of World War I
Category:United States Navy World War II admirals
Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Category:Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath
Category:Officers of the Legion of Honour