Admiral and commander–in–chief of the United States Fleet 1938-1940. Bloch was a graduate of the Naval Academy and fought in both the Spanish-American War where he was decorated and in the Chinese expedition to suppress the Boxer rebellion. Bloch became a Rear Admiral in 1923 and in 1927 he commanded the battleship California. In 1938 Bloch was made commander-in-chief of the United States Fleet and served as the Commander of the Shore Installation at Pearl Harbor. Bloch retired a year later (he was 64). He continued to serve on the Naval Board until 1946.
Bloch was the highest ranking Jewish officer in the US Armed Forces until well after WWII.
[b. 1878, Woodbury, KY; d. 1967, Washington, DC]