View source for Willis Augustus Lee

{{Short description|United States Navy admiral (1888–1945)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox military person
| name          = Willis Augustus Lee Jr.
| image         = Willis A. Lee;h95009.jpg
| caption       = Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr., circa 1942.
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1888|5|11}}
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1945|8|25|1888|5|11}}
| birth_place   = Natlee, [[Kentucky]], U.S.
| death_place   = {{USS|Wyoming|BB-32}}, off the coast of [[Maine]]
| placeofburial_label = Place of burial
| placeofburial = [[Arlington National Cemetery]]
| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
| nickname      = ''Ching''
| allegiance    = [[United States of America]]
| branch        = {{flag|United States Navy}}
| serviceyears  = 1908–1945
| rank          = [[File:US-O9 insignia.svg|35px]] [[Vice admiral (United States)|Vice Admiral]]
| unit          = 
| commands      = {{USS|Fairfax|DD-93|6}}<br />{{USS|William B. Preston|DD-344|6}}<br />{{USS|Lardner|DD-286|6}}<br />{{USS|Pennsylvania|BB-38|6}}<br />{{USS|Concord|CL-10|6}}<br />{{USS|Washington|BB-56|6}}<br />Battleship Division 6<br />Battleships Pacific Fleet
| battles       = {{Tree list}}
* [[United States occupation of Veracruz|Occupation of Veracruz]]
* [[World War I]]
* [[World War II]]
** [[Naval Battle of Guadalcanal]]
{{Tree list/end}}
| awards        = [[Navy Cross (United States)|Navy Cross]]<br />[[Navy Distinguished Service Medal|Distinguished Service Medal]] (2)<br />[[Legion of Merit]]
| relations     = 
| laterwork     = 
}}
'''Willis Augustus "Ching" Lee Jr.''' (May 11, 1888 – August 25, 1945) was a [[vice admiral]] of the [[United States Navy]] during World War II. Lee commanded the American ships during the second night of the [[Naval Battle of Guadalcanal]] (November 14–15, 1942) and turned back a Japanese invasion force headed for the island. The victory ended Japanese attempts to reinforce their troops on Guadalcanal, and thus marked a turning point in both the [[Guadalcanal campaign]] and the [[Pacific War]].

Lee was also a skilled [[Shooting sports|sport shooter]], and won seven medals in the [[Shooting at the 1920 Summer Olympics|1920 Olympics shooting events]], including five gold medals, tied with teammate [[Lloyd Spooner]] for the most anyone had ever received at a single Olympic Games. [[List of multiple Olympic medalists#List of most Olympic medals won at a single Olympic Games|Their record]] stood for 60 years. He was the most successful athlete at the 1920 Olympics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/44708 |title=Willis Augustus Lee |work=Olympedia |access-date=August 31, 2021}}</ref>

==Early life==
The son of Judge Willis Augustus Lee and Susan Arnold, he was known as "Mose" Lee to family and friends.<ref>Miriam Sidebottom Houchens. ''History of Owen County''. Kentucky: Owen County Historical Society, 1976. p. 305</ref><ref>James C. Bryant. ''Mountain Island In Owen County''. Kentucky: The Settlers And Their Churches. Owen County Historical Society, 1986, p. 45</ref>

He entered the [[United States Naval Academy|U.S. Naval Academy]] in 1904. While at the Naval Academy, his Chinese-sounding last name, compounded by his fondness for the [[Far East]], earned him the moniker "Ching" Lee.<ref name="Hornfischer p. 347">Hornfischer p. 347</ref> Among his classmates were several future admirals including: [[Harry Asher Badt|Harry A. Badt]], [[Paul H. Bastedo]], [[John R. Beardall]], [[Abel T. Bidwell]], [[Joseph J. Broshek]], [[Arthur S. Carpender]], [[Jules James]], [[Walter K. Kilpatrick]], [[James L. Kauffman]], [[Thomas C. Kinkaid]], [[William R. Munroe]], [[William R. Purnell]], [[Francis W. Rockwell (admiral)|Francis W. Rockwell]],  [[John F. Shafroth Jr.]], and [[Richmond K. Turner]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/luckybag1908unse |title=Lucky Bag |date=1908 |publisher=First Class, United States Naval Academy |others=Nimitz Library U. S. Naval Academy}}</ref>

Following graduation, Lee joined the academy's rifle team three times. First, during his final summer training stint on the {{USS|Nevada|BM-8|6}} he was called back to Annapolis to participate on the rifle team.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stillwell |first=Paul |title=Battleship commander: the life of vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr |date=2021 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=978-1-68247-594-2 |location=Annapolis, Maryland}}</ref> He was assigned to the [[battleship]] {{USS|Idaho|BB-24|2}} from October 1908 to May 1909, before returning to the naval academy and rejoining the rifle team. From November 1909 until May 1910, Lee served aboard the [[protected cruiser]] {{USS|New Orleans|CL-22|2}}, and then transferred to the [[gunboat]] {{USS|Helena|PG-9|2}}. Upon being detached back to the United States, Lee re-joined the academy shooting team a third time. In July 1913, Lee re-joined ''Idaho'', and in April 1914 he transferred to the battleship {{USS|New Hampshire|BB-25|2}} to participate in the [[United States occupation of Veracruz|occupation of Veracruz]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/dl-dlg/dl4.htm
 |title=Willis A. Lee
 |work=hazegray.org
 |access-date=September 1, 2010
 |archive-date=December 31, 2019
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231134206/http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/dl-dlg/dl4.htm
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref>

During World War I, Lee served on the [[destroyer]]s {{USS|O'Brien|DD-51|2}} and {{USS|Lea|DD-118|2}}.

==1920 Olympics==
{{MedalTableTop}}
{{MedalSport|Men's [[Shooting at the Summer Olympics|shooting]]}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalOlympics}}
{{MedalGold|[[1920 Summer Olympics|1920 Antwerp]]|[[Shooting at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's 50 metre team small-bore rifle|Team 50 m<br />small bore rifle]]}}
{{MedalGold|1920 Antwerp|[[Shooting at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's 300 metre team military rifle, prone|Team 300 m<br /> army rifle, prone]]}}
{{MedalGold|1920 Antwerp|[[Shooting at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's 600 metre team military rifle, prone|Team 600 m free rifle]]}}
{{MedalGold|1920 Antwerp|[[Shooting at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's 300 and 600 metre team military rifle, prone|Team free rifle,<br /> 300 m + 600 m]]}}
{{MedalGold|1920 Antwerp|[[Shooting at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's team free rifle|Team free rifle]]}}
{{MedalSilver|1920 Antwerp|[[Shooting at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's 300 metre team military rifle, standing|Team 300 m army<br /> rifle, standing]]}}
{{MedalBronze|1920 Antwerp|[[Shooting at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metre team running deer, single shots|Team 100 m running<br /> deer, single shots]]}}
{{MedalBottom}}

Lee participated in 14 events at the [[1920 Summer Olympics|1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp]]. He won 7 medals (5 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze), all in team events.<ref name="DANFS">{{cite DANFS | title = Willis A. Lee | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w9/willis_a_lee.htm | access-date = September 1, 2010}}</ref> His teammates for the various events were [[Dennis Fenton]], [[Lawrence Nuesslein]], [[Arthur Rothrock]], [[Oliver Schriver]], [[Morris Fisher]], [[Carl Osburn]], [[Lloyd Spooner]], and [[Joseph Jackson (sport shooter)|Joseph Jackson]].

Lee and Spooner ended the 1920 Olympics with 7 medals each, the most anyone had ever received in a single year's games. [[Boris Shakhlin]] was the next person to reach 7, in 1960. It would not be until [[Alexander Dityatin]] in the 1980 games that anyone would beat the record.

==Interwar years==
Lee attended the [[Naval War College]] in the late 1920s,<ref name="DANFS"/> and was promoted to the rank of [[Captain (United States O-6)|captain]] in 1936.

During the 1930s and early 1940s, Lee was several times assigned to the Fleet Training Division, commanded the [[light cruiser]] {{USS|Concord|CL-10|2}}, and served on the staff of Commander, Cruisers, [[Battle Force]]. In early 1942, following his promotion to the rank of [[Rear admiral (United States)|rear admiral]], Lee became Assistant Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of U.S. Fleet.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lee, Willis A., Jr. |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-people/l/lee-willis-a-jr.html |access-date=November 25, 2024 |website=public1.nhhcaws.local |language=en-US}}</ref>

==World War II==
Lee's specialty in life was gunnery. At the age of 19 in 1907 "he became the only American to win both the US National High Power Rifle and Pistol championships in the same year." In 1914 during the [[United States occupation of Veracruz|Veracruz]] campaign in Mexico he drew the fire of three enemy snipers, thereby exposing their positions and then shot them at long range.<ref name="Hornfischer p. 347"/>  He understood the powerful guns of a battleship as an extension of the law of [[ballistics]] and adapted his expertise to the new age of technology.<ref>Hornfischer p. 348</ref>  When Admiral Lee engaged the Japanese Vice Admiral [[Nobutake Kondō]]'s battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Kirishima||2}} on the evening of November 14, 1942, in the waters off [[Guadalcanal]], he became naval history's first battleship commander to conduct a "gunfight" primarily by [[radar]] [[remote control]].<ref>Hornfischer p. 355</ref>

===Naval Battle of Guadalcanal===
[[File:Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee is presented with the Navy Cross.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[[William Halsey Jr.|Bull Halsey]] presents Lee with the [[Navy Cross (United States)|Navy Cross]] for his actions during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, circa January 1943]]
{{Main|Naval Battle of Guadalcanal}}

In August 1942, Rear Admiral Lee was sent to the Pacific to command Battleship Division Six, consisting of the battleships {{USS|Washington|BB-56|2}} and {{USS|South Dakota|BB-57|2}}.
Flying his flag in ''Washington,'' Lee engaged an [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] [[surface fleet]] under the command of Vice Admiral Kondō  during the second night of the [[Naval Battle of Guadalcanal]] on the night of November 14–15, 1942. While riding in the battleship ''Washington,'' which served as his [[flagship]] during this sea fight, Lee's battleship decisively shelled the battleship ''Kirishima'' into a wreck, resulting in her scuttling shortly afterwards. With 300 Imperial sailors still entombed within her hull, she slid into [[Ironbottom Sound]],<ref>Hornfischer pp. 361–366</ref> leaving Admiral Lee's flagship ''Washington'' the only American battleship during World War II to sink an enemy battleship in a "one on one" gunfight.<ref>Hornfischer p. 366</ref>

Lee, who "knew more about radar than the radar operators,"<ref>{{cite book |last1=Spector |first1=Ronald H. |author-link1=Ronald H. Spector |title=Eagle Against The Sun |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-394-74101-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/eagleagainstsuna0000spec/page/212 212] |publisher=Vintage Books |url=https://archive.org/details/eagleagainstsuna0000spec/page/212 }} (Quoted from [[Samuel Eliot Morison]], ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p. 270)</ref> used the [[SG radar]] installed aboard ''Washington'' to skillfully maneuver his ships during the night.

{{Blockquote|To Willis Lee went many accolades. "Audacious planning and execution" marked his operations, commented Halsey... Unlike [[Daniel J. Callaghan|Callaghan]], Lee never allowed the action to degenerate into a nautical brawl, because he formulated a workable plan and adhered to it, even after every ship in his task force except ''Washington'' was sunk or forced to retire. Lee was never more incisive than in his own evaluation of his success: "We realized then and it should not be forgotten now, that our entire superiority was due almost entirely to our possession of radar. Certainly we have no edge on the Japs in experience, skill, training, or performance of personnel."|Richard B. Frank<ref>{{cite book
 | last = Frank
 | first = Richard B.
 | author-link = Richard B. Frank
 | year = 1990
 | title = Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle
 | publisher = Random House
 | location = New York
 | isbn = 0-394-58875-4
 | url = https://archive.org/details/guadalcanal00fran
 | page=486
 }}</ref>}}

===After Guadalcanal===
Lee was awarded the [[Navy Cross (United States)|Navy Cross]] for his actions at the battle, promoted to [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]] in 1944 and placed in charge of the [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific Fleet]]'s [[fast battleship]]s, as Commander, Battleships, Pacific Fleet ([[ComBatPac]]).

In May 1945, he was sent to the Atlantic to command a special unit researching defenses against the threat of Japanese [[kamikaze]] aircraft, the [[Operational Test and Evaluation Force|Composite Task Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet]]. While serving in that position on August 25, 1945, Vice Admiral Lee died suddenly after suffering a [[heart attack]], ten days after the [[surrender of Japan]]. He collapsed and died in a motor launch that was ferrying him out to his flagship, the gunnery training ship [[USS Wyoming (BB-32)|USS ''Wyoming'' (AG-17)]], in the harbor of [[Portland, Maine|Portland]], Maine.<ref>Associated Press, "Admiral Lee Dies," ''The San Bernardino Daily Sun'', San Bernardino, California, August 26, 1945, Volume 51, p. 7.</ref> Lee was buried in [[Arlington National Cemetery]].<ref>[https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgNsZWUSBndpbGxpcxoBYQ--/ Burial Detail: Lee, Willis A] – ANC Explorer</ref>

==Family==
Willis Lee Jr. was a distant relative of Confederate General [[Robert E. Lee]] and  the third [[Attorney General of the United States]], [[Charles Lee (Attorney General)|Charles Lee]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url= https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/le/willis-lee-1.html
 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200417161632/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/le/willis-lee-1.html
 |url-status= dead
 |archive-date= April 17, 2020
|title=Willis Lee Biography
 |work=sports-reference.com
 |access-date=September 2, 2010
}}</ref> He married Mabelle Allen Elspeth (1894–1949) on July 14, 1919. They had no children.
Willis' father, Judge Willis Augustus Lee Sr., was one of fourteen children of Nathaniel Wiley Lee (aka Nat Lee, founder of [https://www.kyatlas.com/ky-natlee.html Natlee]) and Frances Abbott, of Owen County, Kentucky. While in the Pacific theater, Lee unofficially adopted two Korean children in Vietnam after the children's family requested that Lee take the children to the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.saratogian.com/news|title=News, Breaking News and More: The Saratogian|website=www.saratogian.com|access-date=May 11, 2016}}</ref>

His great-grandparents were early Kentucky settlers, Joseph R. Lee and Mary Wiley.<ref>Bryant, p. 454</ref> His grandfather Nathaniel W. Lee operated a distillery at his namesake village of Natlee. In 1893, Nat Lee's sour mash whiskey was taken to the Chicago World's Fair where it won the Gold Medal over 5000 other entries.<ref>Bryant, p. 50.</ref>

==Namesakes==
The {{Sclass|Mitscher|destroyer}} {{USS|Willis A. Lee|DD-929}}, redesignated before commissioning as a destroyer leader (DL-4), was named for him.

==Awards and decorations==
Below is the ribbon bar of Vice Admiral Willis Augustus Lee:<ref name="Valor awards for Willis Augustus Lee">{{cite web | url = https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/21328 | access-date = June 19, 2018 | work = valor.militarytimes.com | title = Valor awards for Willis Augustus Lee | publisher = Militarytimes Websites}}</ref>

{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"

|colspan="4"|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Navy Cross ribbon.svg|width=106|alt=}} {{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=award-star|ribbon=Navy Distinguished Service ribbon.svg|width=106|alt=}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Legion of Merit ribbon.svg|width=106|alt=}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Mexican Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106|alt=}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=World War I Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=106|alt=}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=4|type=service-star|other_device=bss|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Order of the Cloud and Banner 2nd.gif|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=Phliber rib.svg|width=106}}
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
!1st<br /> Row
|colspan="5"|[[Navy Cross]]
|colspan="8"|[[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]<br />with one [[5/16 inch star|{{Fraction|5|16}}" Gold Star]]
|-
!2nd<br /> Row
|colspan="3"|[[Legion of Merit]]
|colspan="3"|[[Mexican Service Medal]]
|colspan="3"|[[World War I Victory Medal (United States)|World War I Victory Medal]]<br />with "Destroyer" Clasp
|-
!3rd<br /> Row
|colspan="3"|[[American Defense Service Medal]]
|colspan="3"|[[American Campaign Medal]]
|colspan="3"|[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]]<br />with five [[Service star|3/16 inch battle star]]s
|-
!4th<br /> Row
|colspan="3"|[[World War II Victory Medal (United States)|World War II Victory Medal]]
|colspan="3"|[[Order of the Cloud and Banner|Grand Cordon of the<br />Order of the Cloud and Banner]]<br />([[Republic of China (1912–49)|Nationalist China]])
|colspan="3"|[[Philippine Liberation Medal]]<br />with two stars<br />([[Republic of the Philippines]])
|-
|}

==See also==
*[[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists]]

==References==

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{Commons}}
* {{cite book |last= Hornfischer |first= James D. |year=2011 |title= Neptune's Inferno: The US Navy at Guadalcanal |location= New York City |publisher= Bantam Books |isbn= 978-0-553-80670-0 |url= https://archive.org/details/neptunesinferno00jame}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last= Stillwell |first= Paul |year= 2021 |title= Battleship Commander: The Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr. |location= Annapolis|publisher= Naval Institute Press |type= Hardcover |isbn= 9781682475935}} See [https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=59210 online book review]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Willis}}
[[Category:1888 births]]
[[Category:1945 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Owen County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:United States Navy vice admirals]]
[[Category:Navy Midshipmen rifle shooters]]
[[Category:American male sport shooters]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:United States Navy World War II admirals]]
[[Category:Shooters at the 1920 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in shooting]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in shooting]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in shooting]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]