Luke McNamee

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United States Navy Admiral, businessman

title: "Luke McNamee" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1871-births", "1952-deaths", "governors-of-guam", "united-states-navy-admirals", "presidents-of-the-naval-war-college", "american-military-personnel-of-the-spanish–american-war", "united-states-navy-personnel-of-world-war-i", "burials-at-arlington-national-cemetery", "recipients-of-the-navy-cross-(united-states)", "paris-peace-conference-(1919–1920)", "businesspeople-from-newport,-rhode-island", "people-from-mount-hope,-wisconsin", "american-radio-executives", "radio-pioneers", "directors-of-museums-in-the-united-states", "united-states-naval-academy-alumni", "directors-of-the-office-of-naval-intelligence", "people-from-jamestown,-rhode-island", "military-personnel-from-wisconsin", "american-recipients-of-the-legion-of-honour"] description: "United States Navy Admiral, businessman" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luke_McNamee" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary United States Navy Admiral, businessman ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

FieldValue
nameLuke McNamee
birth_date
birth_placeMount Hope, Wisconsin, U.S.
death_date
death_placeNewport, Rhode Island, U.S.
imageLuke McNamee.jpg
order21st
officePresident of the Naval War College
term_startJune 3, 1933
term_endMay 29, 1934
predecessorHarris Laning
successorEdward C. Kalbfus
order121st
office1Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence
term_start1September 1921
term_end1November 1923
predecessor1Andrew T. Long
successor1Henry Hughes Hough
order212th
office2Naval Governor of Guam
term_start2October 3, 1907
term_end2December 28, 1907
predecessor2Templin Potts
successor2Edward John Dorn
order310th
office3Naval Governor of Guam
term_start3November 2, 1905
term_end3December 3, 1906
predecessor3George Leland Dyer
successor3Templin Potts
nationalityUnited States
spouseDorothy Swinburne McNamee
relativesWilliam T. Swinburne (father-in-law)
allegianceUnited States
branch[[File:United States Department of the Navy Seal.svg United States Navy
rank[[File:US-O10 insignia.svg
commands{{Plainlist
battlesSpanish–American War
World War I
awardsNavy Cross
Legion of Honour
::

|honorific-prefix = |name = Luke McNamee |honorific-suffix = |birth_date = |birth_place=Mount Hope, Wisconsin, U.S. |death_date = |death_place=Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. |image = Luke McNamee.jpg |caption = |party = |order = 21st |office = President of the Naval War College |term_start = June 3, 1933 |term_end = May 29, 1934 |predecessor = Harris Laning |successor = Edward C. Kalbfus |order1 = 21st |office1 = Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence |term_start1 = September 1921 |term_end1 = November 1923 |predecessor1 = Andrew T. Long |successor1 = Henry Hughes Hough |order2 = 12th |office2 = Naval Governor of Guam |term_start2 = October 3, 1907 |term_end2 = December 28, 1907 |predecessor2 = Templin Potts |successor2 = Edward John Dorn |order3 = 10th |office3 = Naval Governor of Guam |term_start3 = November 2, 1905 |term_end3 = December 3, 1906 |lieutenant3 = |predecessor3 = George Leland Dyer |successor3 = Templin Potts |nationality = United States |spouse = Dorothy Swinburne McNamee |relatives = William T. Swinburne (father-in-law) |allegiance = United States |branch = [[File:United States Department of the Navy Seal.svg United States Navy |serviceyears = |rank = [[File:US-O10 insignia.svg|40px]] Admiral |unit = |commands = {{Plainlist |

Luke McNamee (April 4, 1871 – December 30, 1952) was a United States Navy Admiral, businessman, and the 10th and 12th Naval Governor of Guam. He served in the navy for 42 years, during which time he held multiple commands. During the Spanish–American War, he earned the Navy Cross, and later the Legion of Honour.

Earlier on his career, he served as governor, and expanded funding for fighting the infectious diseases running through the native population. He represented the U.S. Navy as a delegate to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. He later became Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence. He was promoted to full admiral after being placed in charge of the Battle Fleet. After this command, he served as president of the Naval War College before retiring in 1934. After leaving the navy, he became president and chairman of the Mackay Radio and Telegraph Company, where he aggressively expanded telegraph and radio service overseas.

Naval career

McNamee had a 42-year career in the United States Navy. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy from Kansas, graduating in 1892. He served as executive officer of the during the Spanish–American War.

In 1901, he served aboard the battleship . he was promoted to captain in 1917. While on the Sacramento, he commanded all Navy forces in the Gulf of Mexico, though this only consisted of seven gunboats.

After his promotion, he served as chief of staff to the commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, and then to Admiral William Sims, commander of United States Naval forces in Europe. In 1919, he was on the naval advisory board at the Paris Peace Conference.

In 1921, he served as commanding officer of the and the in 1923. He served as director of the Office of Naval Intelligence. From 1924 to 1926, McNamee was appointed Naval attaché to the Court of St. James's in the United Kingdom. During his time in London, he was promoted to rear admiral. In 1926, he commanded all the Destroyers in the Battle Fleet, before becoming director of fleet training. for the next four years. After being promoted to vice admiral, he returned to the Battle Fleet to command its Battleship force, doing so from 1931 to 1932. In 1933, he achieved full admiral and commanded the entire Battle Force.

On June 3, 1933, he became president of the Naval War College. He left the post on May 29, 1934, after retiring from active duty. During his career, he was awarded the Navy Cross and the French Legion of Honour.

Governorship

McNamee twice served as acting governor of Guam: first from November 2, 1905, to December 3, 1906, and again from October 3, 1907, to December 28, 1907.

As governor, he urged the United States Secretary of the Navy to invest in the control of leprosy and other infectious diseases on the island, arguing that this would be in the best interest of Navy finances, as it would protect paid personnel's productivity and the native Chamorro population, a group the navy thought could provide cheap labor.

Business career and later life

After leaving the navy, McNamee became president of the Mackay Radio and Telegraph Company in 1934. He aggressively expanded the company by modernizing its overseas operations. He extended service on government and private vessels using the company's equipment as well.

On May 19, 1950, he became chairman of the board of directors. He also oversaw the opening of the first direct telegraph line to Bermuda. In May 1951, he resigned his position as director of both Mackay and International Telephone and Telegraph.

After retiring, McNamee lived in New York City. In 1948, he succeeded Herbert Livingston Satterlee as chairman of the executive committee of the Marine Museum of the City of New York.

Awards

Personal life

Luke McNamee was born to Michael and Anne Amelia ( Garvey) McNamee in Mount Hope, Wisconsin in 1871.

On October 22, 1903, at Saint Cecilia's Church in Boston, Massachusetts, McNamee married Dorothy Swinburne (born 1880, Erie County, Pennsylvania), the daughter of Admiral William T. Swinburne. The McNamees had no children.

For much of his life, he lived in Wisconsin, though he later moved to Jamestown, Rhode Island. He spent the last two years of his life as a patient of the Naval Station Newport Hospital in Newport, Rhode Island.

On December 30, 1952, McNamee died at Naval Station Newport Hospital at Newport, Rhode Island. McNamee is interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. His widow, Dorothy, died on November 21, 1965 (aged 85) and was interred beside her husband in Arlington National Cemetery.

References

References

  1. (1953). "Britannica book of the year". books.google.co.uk.
  2. Hamersly, Lewis Randolph. (1902). "The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps". L.R. Hamersly Company.
  3. Mooney, James. "Sacramento". [[Naval History & Heritage Command]].
  4. (23 June 1915). "Mexican Officials Want Americans Quit Yaqui Valley". [[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]].
  5. "Rear Admiral Stephen B. Luce". [[Naval War College]].
  6. "1930-1939". [[Naval War College]].
  7. (August 10, 2010). "Naval Era Governors of Guam". [[University of Guam]].
  8. Hattori, Anne Perez. (2004). "Colonial Dis-ease: US Navy Health Policies and the Chamorros of Guam, 1898-1941". [[University of Hawaii Press]].
  9. (August 6, 1942). "New Link to Bermuda: Direct Radio-Telegraph Service May Be Opened Monday". [[The New York Times]].
  10. (March 29, 1948). "M'Namee Gets New Post: Admiral Heads Marine Museum Executive Committee". [[The New York Times]].
  11. "Luke McNamee, Admiral, U.S. Navy".
  12. "Dorothy Swinburne".
  13. (October 31, 1903). "Personal Matters". Army and Navy Register.
  14. (May 10, 1934). "M'Namee Retired; In Navy 40 Years". [[The New York Times]].
  15. (December 31, 1952). "Admiral M'Namee Dead in Newport: Former Head of Mackay Radio, Adviser at 1919 Paris Peace Parley, in Navy 42 Years". [[The New York Times]].
  16. (December 30, 1952). "Admiral Dies". Marshfield News-Herald.

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1871-births1952-deathsgovernors-of-guamunited-states-navy-admiralspresidents-of-the-naval-war-collegeamerican-military-personnel-of-the-spanish–american-warunited-states-navy-personnel-of-world-war-iburials-at-arlington-national-cemeteryrecipients-of-the-navy-cross-(united-states)paris-peace-conference-(1919–1920)businesspeople-from-newport,-rhode-islandpeople-from-mount-hope,-wisconsinamerican-radio-executivesradio-pioneersdirectors-of-museums-in-the-united-statesunited-states-naval-academy-alumnidirectors-of-the-office-of-naval-intelligencepeople-from-jamestown,-rhode-islandmilitary-personnel-from-wisconsinamerican-recipients-of-the-legion-of-honour