President of the Naval War College

The president of the Naval War College is a flag officer in the United States Navy. The President's House in Newport, Rhode Island is their official residence.

The functions of the President of the Naval War College actually predate the establishment of the institution. As Commandant of the Newport Naval Station and then as Commodore of the Atlantic Squadron, Stephen B. Luce established enlisted education and training with the Apprentice School along the shores of the Narragansett Bay. Luce had earlier delivered lectures on naval strategy and command from the facilities of the Naval Torpedo Station on Goat Island before he spearheaded efforts to procure the building and surrounding grounds on Coaster's Harbor Island, which still stands as the location of the Naval War College. The office of the president was formally created along with the Naval War College as a whole by U.S. Navy General Order 325, signed by Secretary of the Navy William E. Chandler on 6 October 1884. The order stipulated that a commissioned officer of the Navy no lower in grade than commander be in charge of the college and that that officer's title be "president." It also directed that the president be presiding officer of a board consisting of the president and all of the college's faculty and responsible for determining the professional course of study for students at the college.^[1]

General Order 325 identified the college's first president as Commodore Stephen B. Luce, who took office on the day Chandler signed the order.^[1] The last captain to serve as president left the position in 1913, after which all presidents have been flag officers. Since 1948, all presidents of the Naval War College have been vice admirals or rear admirals.^[2]

While college activities were suspended during the Spanish–American War, the presidency was vacant. When activities were again suspended during World War I, and during periods since World War I between the departure of an outgoing president and the arrival of a successor, acting presidents have administered the college until a new president reported for duty.^[2]

The college counts individuals who serve more than once as president as a separate president for each tour for purposes of chronological numbering of the presidents. Acting presidents are not counted.^[2]

The presidency of the Naval War College is one of only four positions in the United States Navy which has an official portrait associated with it, the others being the secretary of the Navy, the chief of naval operations, and the superintendent of the United States Naval Academy. The Naval War College Museum holds in its collection the official portraits of all but ten of the presidents, including all presidents since 1939.^[3]