Vice Admiral Robert Lee Ghormley (October 15, 1883 – June 21, 1958) was an admiral in the United States Navy who served as Commander, South Pacific Area during World War II. Ghormley was long considered to be an ineffective leader–overly cautious, pessimistic, and even defeatist–but recent scholarship has shown that while he may not have been an inspiring leader, he performed well under difficult circumstances. Early years Born in Portland, Oregon, Ghormley was the oldest of six children to a Presbyterian missionary. While attending the University of Idaho in Moscow, he was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland and entered there on September 23, 1902, and graduated in June 1906. Among his classmates were many future admirals including Arthur L. Bristol, William L. Calhoun, William A. Glassford, Charles C. Hartigan, Aubrey W. Fitch, Frank J. Fletcher, Isaac C. Kidd, John S. McCain Sr., Leigh Noyes, Ferdinand L. Reichmuth, Raymond A. Spruance, John H. Towers, Russell Willson, Thomas Withers, Roland M. Brainard, Milo F. Draemel and Sherwoode A. Taffinder. He served on cruisers during the next five years, including , the auxiliary cruiser , , and . From 1911 to 1913, Lieutenant Ghormley was Aide and Flag Lieutenant to the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet, participating in the 1912 campaign in Nicaragua. That was followed by duty at the U.S. Naval Academy starting in June 1913. He was assigned to the battleship in June 1916. Ghormley was promoted to lieutenant commander on May 23, 1917 and spent most of World War I on Nevada and as a flag aide. Late in the conflict, he was promoted to commander and became assistant director of the Overseas Division of the Naval Overseas Transportation Service. In 1919 he was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his service in this position. From 1920 to 1922, he commanded the patrol vessel and the destroyer , including Mediterranean Sea duty in the latter. Mid-career Promoted to the rank of commander in July 1921, Ghormley served as Aide to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1923 to 1925 and as executive officer of the battleship for the next two years. In 1927 he became Secretary of the Navy's General Board, in Washington, D.C., Captain Ghormley was Chief of Staff to the commanders of the Battle Force and U.S. Fleet during the early 1930s. After working with the Chief of Naval Operations, he became