Russell Wilson was born in Fredonia, New York back in 1883 to Louis and Lucy. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1906. After graduation, he served on the battleship USS New York as an ensign. By 1914 he was a flag lieutenant serving under Admiral Henry Mayo.
He went on to command destroyers at Greenland. He graduated from the Naval War College in 1924, serving as naval attaché at the US Embassy in London from 1937-38. By 1939 he was the last commander of the Battleship Division 1 in peacetime prior to the start of WWII.
In 1941 he was superintendent of the United States Naval Academy. After the attack on Pearl Harbor he was assigned to the Pacific Fleet. He was found to be medically unfit for sea and therefore he retired in 1943. He died in 1948 at 64 in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Now of course you’ll hear the rest of the story for you see what he did back in 1917 is why he is written in the history books. While serving as a flag officer he invented the Navy Cipher Box and for that invention he was awarded the Navy Cross which is the second highest award just under the Medal of Honor. So many heroes to write about so little time.
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