Admiral William J. Crowe, USN (born January 2, 1925) is a former U.S. Navy admiral who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush, and as the Ambassador to the United Kingdom under President Bill Clinton.

William Crowe was born in La Grange, Kentucky in 1925. At the beginning of the Great Depression, Crowe's father moved the family to Oklahoma City. Crowe's Naval career began at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, from which he graduated in 1947. From 1954 to 1955 he served as Assistant to the Naval Aide of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. From 1956 to 1958 Crowe served as Executive Officer of the submarine U.S.S. Wahoo. In 1958 he served as an aide to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations. In 1960 Crowe took command of U.S.S. Trout (SS 556) , homeported in Charleston, South Carolina, and served as Commanding Officer of that boat until 1962. From there, Crowe earned a Master's Degree and Ph.D. from Princeton University, returning to service in 1966 to take command of Submarine Division 31, homeported in San Diego, California.

A long string of assignments followed:

• 1967 -- Head of East Asia Pacific Branch, Politico-Military Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
• 1970 -- Senior Adviser to the Vietnamese Navy Riverine Force.
• 1973 -- Promoted to Rear Admiral and made Deputy Director, Strategic Plans, Policy, Nuclear Systems and NSC Affairs Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
• 1975 -- Director, East Asia and Pacific Region, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense.
• 1976 -- Commander Middle East Force.
• 1977 -- Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Plans and Policy.
• 1980 -- Commander in Chief, Allied Forces, Southern Europe.
• 1983 -- Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command.

On July 10, 1985, William Crowe was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He continued to serve as CJCS through the Bush administration until 1989 when he retired from the Navy.

Crowe surprised politicos when he endorsed Bill Clinton in the presidential election of 1992. In 1994, President Clinton appointed Crowe Ambassador to the United Kingdom and served in that capacity until 1997.

William Crowe has been married to Shirley Grinel since 1954. They have three children. He has sat on the Boards of Texaco, Merrill Lynch, Pfizer, Norfolk and Southern , and General Dynamics. At present, Crowe serves as the Chairman of the Board of Visitors for the International Programs Center of Oklahoma University. He also serves as an advisory board member for GlobalOptions, Inc., an international risk management and business solutions company headquartered in Washington, DC.

External links

• Global Options, Inc.
• University of Oklahoma International Programs Center