US Navy Admiral. A veteran of World War I and World War II, he served as the President of the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island and became US Navy's first Inspector General during World War II. He was born in Charleston, West Virginia, the son of future Congressman Charles P. Snyder. He attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia for one year before entering the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland in 1896. After graduating from the Academy on 1900, he served the standard two years at sea as a passed cadet before being commissioned ensign in 1902 and assigned to the battleship USS Alabama. After he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, he reported to the Naval Academy in August 1905 as an instructor in navigation and mechanics. In February 1906, he was called before a Congressional subcommittee to testify about his role as the disciplinary officer in charge during a notorious hazing incident that had resulted in an upper class man being acquitted at court-martial for the injury of a fourth class cadet on the grounds that he and other upper class men had understood that Snyder had tacitly encouraged the hazing. During World War I, he commanded the battleship USS Oregon, which was the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, the cruiser USS Minneapolis, and the transport USS Mongolia. After graduating from the Naval War College in 1925, he was promoted to the rank of captain and served tours as commandant of midshipmen at the Naval Academy, on staff at the Naval War College, and as manager of the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine. In March 1933 he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral while serving as chief of staff to Admiral David F. Sellers. In 1934 he became commander of the Portsmouth Navy Yard until 1935, when he returned to sea duty and commanded a heavy cruiser division of the Scouting Force, followed by a battleship division of the Battle Force, before serving as President of the Naval War College from January 1937 to May 1939. He then returned to sea duty as Commander Battleships, Battle Force, with the temporary rank of vice admiral. In January 1940, he was promoted to the temporary rank of admiral and became Commander Battle Force, with his flagship being the battleship USS California. In this position, he was second in command of the US Fleet, under Admiral James O. Richardson. In January 1941 Richardson was relieved over a dispute about fleet basing and replaced by Husband E. Kimmel, a junior rear admiral. Simultaneously, the fleet was reorganized and the position of Commander Battle Force was downgraded to three stars, a change scheduled to take effect upon the completion of Snyder's tour that summer. For reasons of his own, he did not want to serve under Kimmel, and asked to be relieved immediately. He reverted to his permanent rank of rear admiral and became a member of the US Navy General Board with additional duty as the president of the Board for Inspection of Military Readiness in Naval Districts. As a member of the General Board, he participated in the debate over the role of African American sailors in the Navy. The Navy's policy was to confine black sailors to menial duties as stewards and mess attendants, excluding them from general service on the grounds that they were unable to maintain discipline among white subordinates and therefore had to be segregated, which was impractical at sea. When the General Board convened on January 23, 1942, he suggested expanding black enlistment in rigidly segregated support roles outside the service branches. From May 1942 until April 1946, he served as the first Naval Inspector General. His position was used as a troubleshooter during World War II, inspecting shore facilities and investigating misconduct. He was instructed to keep the organization small and to rely on augmentation from the Fleet. He retired in August 1943 upon reaching the statutory age, and was advanced to the rank of admiral on the retired list as the highest rank in which he had served, but remained on active duty as inspector general until after the end of World War II. In early 1946, he investigated the sinking of the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis in his official capacity as inspector general, but agreed to curtail his investigation so that Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King and Navy Secretary James V. Forrestal could immediately bring court-martial proceedings against the Indianapolis' commanding officer, Captain Charles B. McVay III. He then officially left the US Navy, with 46 years of continuous active service. Among his military decorations and awards include the Navy Cross for eminent and conspicuous service in World War I, the World War I Victory Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Washington and Lee College in January 1943. He died in Bethesda, Maryland at the age of 85.