Nimitz, Chester William (1885-1966)

US admiral. In World War II he was commander-in-chief of the US Pacific fleet. He reconquered the Solomon Islands 1942-43, Gilbert Islands 1943, the Mariana Islands and the Marshall Islands 1944, and signed the Japanese surrender 1945 as the US representative.

Born at Fredericksburg, Texas, Nimitz graduated from the US Naval Academy 1905. He became rear-admiral 1938, and was chief of the Bureau of Navigation in the Navy department 1939-41. On 17 December 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the naval high command was overhauled and Nimitz became commander-in-chief of the Pacific fleet. He directed the initial stages of the invasion of Okinawa 1945. In 1949 he headed the United Nations mediation commission over the Kashmir dispute.