Russell Randolph Waesche (1886-1946)

United States Coast Guard Admiral. Graduating from the United States Revenue Cutter Service School of Instruction in 1906, he served at various different posts until 1911, when he was assigned his first command, the "USRC Arcata". After the 1915 merging of the Revenue Cutter Service with several other services to form the United States Coast Guard, he was assigned to Coast Guard Headquarters until the end of World War I. After serving on a variety of vessels throughout the 1920s, he was Chief Ordnance Officer of the Coast Guard from 1928 tp 1935, when he was re-assigned as an aide to Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Harry Hamlet. In June 1936, Waesche was appointed the 5th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, a post he would hold until his retirement at the rank of full Admiral in January 1946. Admiral Waesche was the longest serving Commandant in Coast Guard history and during his tenure he established the Coast Guard Reserve, guided the branch through World War II, and ensured its separation from the United States Navy after the two branches had combined for wartime purposes.

Bio by: G.Photographer