List of United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps three-star admirals
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Flag_of_the_United_States_Surgeon_General_v1.svg/160px-Flag_of_the_United_States_Surgeon_General_v1.svg.png)
This is a complete list of three-star admirals in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. The rank of vice admiral (or three-star admiral), ranks above rear admiral (two-star admiral) and below admiral (full admiral, or four-star admiral) in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
There have been 12 vice admirals in the history of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Of these, 9 achieved that rank while on active duty and 3 were promoted upon retirement in recognition of meritorious service. All 12 were directly commissioned into the regular corps, with 10 commissioned into the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (direct) and 2 commissioned into its predecessor, the Marine Hospital Service (MHS). 8 were originally civilians who were appointed to the regular corps and to grade upon taking office, 3 were active duty officers appointed to grade after leaving office, and one was a civilian appointed to the regular corps at four-star rank upon initial assumption of office.
List of admirals[]
All admirals in this list are indexed by the numerical order in which each officer was promoted to that rank, or by an asterisk (*) if the officer did not serve in that rank while on active duty in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps or was promoted to four-star rank while on active duty in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. The date listed is that of the officer's first promotion to vice admiral, and may differ from the officer's entry in the U.S. Public Health Service register. The year commissioned is taken to be the year the officer was directly commissioned which may precede the officer's actual date of commission by up to two years. Each entry lists the admiral's name, date of rank, active-duty position held while serving at three-star rank,[1] number of years of active-duty service at three-star rank (Yrs),[2] year commissioned and source of commission,[3] number of years in commission when promoted to three-star rank (YC),[4] and other biographical notes.[5]
# | Name | Photo | Date of rank | Position [1] | Yrs [2] | Commission [3] | YC [4] | Notes [5] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Julius B. Richmond | ![]() |
13 Jul 1977 |
|
4 | 1977 (direct) | 0 | (1916–2008) Director, Head Start, 1965–1967.[6] |
2 | C. Everett Koop | ![]() |
21 Jan 1982 |
|
7 | 1982 (direct) | 0 | (1916–2013) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, 1981–1982. |
3 | Antonia C. Novello | ![]() |
9 Mar 1990 |
|
3 | 1990 (direct) | 0 | (1944– ) Commissioner, New York State Department of Health, 1999–2006. First woman to serve as Surgeon General. |
4 | Joycelyn Elders | ![]() |
8 Sep 1993 |
|
1 | 1993 (direct) | 0 | (1933– ) Resigned, 1994. Director, Arkansas Department of Health, 1979–1981. First African American to be Surgeon General. |
5 | David Satcher | ![]() |
20 Jan 2001 |
|
1 | 1998 (direct) | 3 | (1941– )[7] Assistant Secretary for Health, 1998–2001. |
6 | Richard H. Carmona | ![]() |
5 Aug 2002 |
|
4 | 2002 (direct) | 0 | (1949– ) Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Arizona, 2012. |
7 | Regina M. Benjamin | ![]() |
3 Nov 2009 |
|
4 | 2009 (direct) | 0 | (1956– ) |
8 | Vivek H. Murthy | ![]() |
18 Dec 2014 |
|
4 | 2014 (direct) | 0 | (1977– ) Co-Chair, COVID-19 Advisory Board, 2020–2021. First surgeon general of Indian descent; and first to serve two nonconsecutive terms. |
9 | Jerome M. Adams | ![]() |
5 Sep 2017 |
|
4 | 2017 (direct) | 0 | (1974– ) Health Commissioner of Indiana, 2014–2017. |
Tombstone admirals[]
The Act of Congress of March 4, 1925, allowed officers in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard to be promoted one grade upon retirement if they had been specially commended for performance of duty in actual combat. Combat citation promotions were colloquially known as "tombstone promotions" because they conferred the prestige of the higher rank but not the additional retirement pay, so their only practical benefit was to allow recipients to engrave a loftier title on their business cards and tombstones. The Act of Congress of February 23, 1942, enabled tombstone promotions to three- and four-star grades. Tombstone promotions were subsequently restricted to citations issued before January 1, 1947, and finally eliminated altogether effective November 1, 1959.
Any vice admiral who actually served in a grade while on active duty receives precedence on the retired list over any tombstone vice admiral holding the same retired grade. Tombstone admirals rank among each other according to the dates of their highest active duty grade.
# | Name | Photo | Date of rank (RADM) | Date of rank (VADM) | Commission | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rupert Blue | ![]() |
13 Jan 1912 | 1942 | 1893 (MHS) | (1868–1948) Surgeon General (SG), 1912–1920. |
2 | Hugh S. Cumming Sr. | ![]() |
3 Mar 1920 | 31 Jan 1936 | 1894 (MHS) | (1869–1948) Surgeon General (SG), 1920–1936; Director, Pan American Sanitary Bureau, 1920–1947. Father of diplomat Hugh S. Cumming Jr. |
3 | Thomas Parran Jr. | ![]() |
6 Apr 1936 | 1 Oct 1948 | 1936 (direct) | (1892–1968) Surgeon General (SG), 1936–1948; Dean, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, 1948–1958. |
Timeline[]
1970 - present[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/54pwalt4abpc4hhobq5z6mb9ljuajuj.png)
See also[]
- Admiral (United States)
- List of active duty United States three-star officers
- List of United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps four-star admirals
- List of United States military leaders by rank
References[]
- ^ a b Positions listed are those held by the officer when promoted to vice admiral. Dates listed are for the officer's full tenure, which may predate promotion to three-star rank or postdate retirement from active duty.
- ^ a b The number of years of active-duty service at three-star rank is approximated by subtracting the year in the "Date of rank" column from the last year in the "Position" column. Time spent between active-duty three-star assignments is not counted.
- ^ a b Sources of commission are listed in parentheses after the year of commission and include direct commission (direct) and the Marine Hospital Service (MHS).
- ^ a b The number of years in commission before being promoted to three-star rank is approximated by subtracting the year in the "Commission" column from the year in the "Date of rank" column.
- ^ a b Notes include years of birth and death; awards of the Congressional Gold Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom, or honors of similar significance; major government appointments; university presidencies or equivalents; familial relationships with significant military officers or government officials such as U.S. Presidents, cabinet secretaries, U.S. Senators, or state governors; and unusual career events such as premature dismissal or death in office.
- ^ Weber, Bruce (July 30, 2008). "Dr. Julius Richmond, Who Led Head Start and Battled Tobacco, Dies at 91". The New York Times.
- ^ Commissioned as admiral, Feb 1998; retired as vice admiral, 12 Feb 2002.
- ^ Diamond, Dan (March 21, 2021). "Senate confirms Vivek H. Murthy as surgeon general". The Washington Post.
Additional sources[]
- (OSG), Office of the Surgeon General. "About the Office of the Surgeon General". www.surgeongeneral.gov.
- "HHS Secretaries – National Institutes of Health (NIH)". Nih.gov. Archived from the original on September 24, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- Reports of the Surgeon General from the National Library of Medicine's "Profiles in Science"
- Lists of admirals
- Three-star officers
- United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps admirals