Born in Washington. D. C. on October 30, 1882, he graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1904.
He served on escort vessels during World War I and later earned his Naval Aviator's Wings at the advanced age of 52, the oldest person to do so in the history of the U.S. Navy.
He commanded the South Pacific Area in 1942 and was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Third Fleet in 1944. He provided support for General Douglas MacArthur's invasion of the Philippines in 1944. The Japanese surrender in World War II took place on his flagship, the battleship USS Missouri, in Tokyo Bay.
He was promoted to Five-Star Fleet Admiral (one of only five men to have held that rank) in December 1945. He retired from active duty with the Navy in 1947, becoming President of International Telecommunications Labs, Inc.
He died on August 16, 1959 and was buried in Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery, next to his father, Captain William Frederick Halsey.
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