General Counsel of the Navy


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 of the Navy and the various Assistant Secretaries of the Navy and their staffs. The General Counsel of the Navy 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 of the Navy, 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.

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.
NameAssumed OfficeLeft OfficePresident Appointed BySecretary Served Under
H. Struve HenselJuly 10, 1941January 30, 1945Franklin D. RooseveltFrank Knox, James Forrestal
W. John KenneyFebruary 5, 1945April 2, 1945Franklin D. RooseveltJames Forrestal
Patrick H. HodgsonApril 3, 1945October 31, 1945Franklin D. RooseveltJames Forrestal
J. Henry NealeNovember 1, 1945July 26, 1946Harry S. TrumanJames Forrestal
William WempleJuly 27, 1946August 23, 1946Harry S. TrumanJames Forrestal
James T. Hill, Jr.
August 24, 1946		May 15, 1947Harry S. TrumanJames Forrestal
Hudson B. CoxMay 16, 1947April 29, 1949Harry S. TrumanJames Forrestal, John L. Sullivan
Harold B. GrossApril 30, 1949August 30, 1953Harry S. TrumanFrancis P. Matthews, Dan A. Kimball, Robert B. Anderson
F. Trowbridge vom BaurDecember 15, 1953April 30, 1960Dwight D. EisenhowerRobert B. Anderson, Charles Thomas, Thomas S. Gates, Jr., William B. Franke
Meritt H. Steger
May 2, 1960		May 31, 1971Dwight D. EisenhowerWilliam B. Franke, John Connally, Fred Korth, Paul Nitze, Paul Robert Ignatius, John Chafee
Hart T. Mankin
June 7, 1971		July 21, 1973Richard NixonJohn Chafee, John Warner
E. Grey Lewis
August 1, 1973		April 21, 1977Richard NixonJohn Warner, J. William Middendorf
Togo D. West, Jr.
April 22, 1977		January 13, 1979Jimmy CarterW. Graham Claytor, Jr.
Coleman Hicks
May 25, 1979		January 13, 1981Jimmy CarterEdward Hidalgo
Hugh O'Neill June, 1981August 24, 1981Ronald ReaganJohn Lehman
Walter T. Skallerup, Jr.
August 24, 1981		1987Ronald ReaganJohn Lehman
Harvey J. Wilcox July 29, 1987November 21, 1988Jim Webb, William L. Ball
Lawrence L. LamadeNovember 22, 1988November 21, 1989Ronald ReaganWilliam L. Ball, Henry L. Garrett III
Craig S. KingNovember 22, 1989January 20, 1993George H. W. BushHenry L. Garrett III, Sean O'Keefe
Steven S. HonigmanJune 1, 1993March 15, 1998Bill ClintonJohn Howard Dalton
Eugene Angrist March 15, 1998September 28, 1998John Howard Dalton
Stephen W. PrestonSeptember 28, 1998November 17, 2000Bill ClintonRichard Danzig
John E. Sparks November 17, 2000December 12, 2000Richard Danzig
William Molzahn December 12, 2000July 25, 2001Richard Danzig
Alberto J. MoraJuly 25, 2001January 1, 2006George W. BushGordon R. England
Paul C. Ney, Jr. January 2, 2006September 25, 2006Donald C. Winter
Frank JimenezSeptember 25, 2006April 30, 2009George W. BushDonald C. Winter
Anne M. Brennan April 30, 2009March 11, 2010Ray Mabus
Paul L. Oostburg SanzMarch 12, 2010January 20, 2017Barack ObamaRay Mabus
Anne M. Brennan January 21, 2017March 6, 2019Richard V. Spencer
March 7, 2019January 5, 2020Richard V. Spencer; Thomas B Modly
January 6, 2020Donald J TrumpThomas B. Modly