The general counsel of the Department of the Navy is the senior civilian lawyer in the U.S. Department of the Navy and is the senior legal adviser to the secretary of the navy. The Office of the General Counsel of the Navy provides legal advice to the secretary, the under secretary and the various assistant secretaries and their staffs. The general counsel is the third highest-ranking civilian office in the Department of the Navy, behind the Secretary and Under Secretary of the Navy.
The general counsel maintains a close working relationship with the judge advocate general, the senior uniformed lawyer in the Department of the Navy who performs statutory duties under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The general counsel manages nearly 650 attorneys worldwide, helps to oversee the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and advises senior Navy and Marine Corps officials on litigation, acquisition, contractual, fiscal, environmental, property, personnel, legislative, ethics, and intelligence law issues.
List of General counsels of the navy, 1941—present The first general counsel of the navy was appointed in 1941. From 1862 to 1941, essentially the same function was provided by the Solicitor General of the Navy.History of the Office of General Counsel of the Navy
ImageNameAssumed officeLeft officePresident appointed bySecretary served underH. Struve HenselJuly 10, 1941January 30, 1945Franklin D. RooseveltFrank KnoxJames ForrestalW. John KenneyFebruary 5, 1945April 2, 1945James Forrestal Patrick H. HodgsonApril 3, 1945October 31, 1945 J. Henry NealeNovember 1, 1945July 26, 1946Harry S. Truman William WempleJuly 27, 1946August 23, 1946 James T. Hill, Jr.August 24, 1946May 15, 1947 Hudson B. CoxMay 16, 1947April 29, 1949James ForrestalJohn L. Sullivan Harold B. GrossApril 30, 1949August 30, 1953Francis P. MatthewsDan A. KimballRobert B. Anderson F. Trowbridge vom BaurDecember 15, 1953April 30, 1960Dwight D. EisenhowerRobert B. AndersonCharles ThomasThomas S. Gates, Jr.William B. FrankeMeritt H. Steger May 2, 1960May 31, 1971William B. FrankeJohn ConnallyFred KorthPaul NitzePaul Robert IgnatiusJohn Chafee Hart T. Mankin June 7, 1971July 21, 1973Richard NixonJohn ChafeeJohn WarnerE. Grey Lewis August 1, 1973April 21, 1977John WarnerJ. William MiddendorfTogo D. West, Jr.April 22, 1977January 13, 1979Jimmy CarterW. Graham Claytor, Jr. Coleman HicksMay 25, 1979January 13, 1981Edward Hidalgo Hugh O'Neill (Acting)June 1981August 24, 1981Ronald ReaganJohn LehmanWalter T. Skallerup, Jr.August 24, 1981July 29, 1987 Harvey J. Wilcox (Deputy GC)July 29, 1987November 21, 1988Jim WebbWilliam L. BallLawrence L. LamadeNovember 22, 1988November 21, 1989William L. BallHenry L. Garrett IIICraig S. KingNovember 22, 1989January 20, 1993George H. W. BushHenry L. Garrett IIISean O'Keefe Steven S. HonigmanJune 1, 1993March 15, 1998Bill ClintonJohn Howard Dalton Eugene Angrist (Deputy GC)March 15, 1998September 28, 1998Stephen W. PrestonSeptember 28, 1998November 17, 2000Richard DanzigJohn E. Sparks (acting)November 17, 2000December 12, 2000 William Molzahn (Deputy GC)December 12, 2000July 25, 2001Bill ClintonGeorge W. BushAlberto J. MoraJuly 25, 2001January 1, 2006George W. BushGordon R. EnglandPaul C. Ney, Jr. (acting)January 2, 2006September 25, 2006Donald C. WinterFrank JimenezSeptember 25, 2006April 30, 2009Anne M. Brennan (acting)April 30, 2009March 11, 2010Barack ObamaRay MabusPaul L. Oostburg SanzMarch 12, 2010January 20, 2017Anne M. Brennan (acting)January 20, 2017March 6, 2019Donald J TrumpRichard V. SpencerGarrett L. Ressing (acting)March 7, 2019January 5, 2020Richard V. SpencerThomas B. Modly (acting)Robert SanderJanuary 6, 2020January 20, 2021Thomas B. Modly (acting)Garrett L. Ressing (acting)January 20, 2021February 16, 2022Joe BidenThomas Harker (acting)Carlos Del ToroSean CoffeyFebruary 16, 2022January 20, 2025Carlos Del ToroCatherine L. Kessmeier (acting)January 20, 2025July 21, 2025Donald TrumpTerence G. Emmert (acting)John PhelanTim Dill (acting)July 21, 2025December 19, 2025Donald TrumpJohn PhelanDavid Denton Jr.December 19, 2025PresentDonald TrumpJohn PhelanHung Cao (acting)
See also General Counsel of the Department of Defense General Counsel of the Army General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force
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