Harris Laning, born October 18, 1873 in Petersburg, Illinois

Petersburg, Illinois

Petersburg is a city in Menard County, Illinois, on the bluffs and part of the floodplain overlooking the Sangamon River. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,299 at the 2000 census, and 2,185 at a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Menard...

, graduated from the United States Naval Academy

United States Naval Academy

The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...

 on June 7, 1895. He served in the Philippines during the Philippine insurrection, and served as captain of the U.S. rifle team which won the Gold Medal in Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

, Sweden, at the 1912 Olympic Games. His first command was USS Cassin (DD-43)

USS Cassin (DD-43)

The first USS Cassin was the lead ship of her class of destroyers in the United States Navy during World War I. She was later transferred to the United States Coast Guard, where she was designated CG-1...

, which operated off Veracruz

Veracruz, Veracruz

Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...

 during the 1914 Mexican Campaign. As Chief of Staff to Commander Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet in 1919 he supported the first successful transatlantic flight, made by Navy seaplane NC-4

NC-4

The NC-4 was a Curtiss NC flying boat which was designed by Glenn Curtiss and his team, and manufactured by Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. In May 1919, the NC-4 became the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, starting in the United States and making the crossing as far as Lisbon,...

 in May.

As a rear admiral, he commanded a battleship division, and was President of the Naval War College

President of the Naval War College

The President of the Naval War College is a flag officer in the United States Navy. The President's House is his official residence.Since the Korean War, all presidents of the Naval War College have been vice admirals or rear admirals.-Presidents:...

 in the early in the 1930s; as vice admiral, he commanded Cruisers, Scouting Force. As admiral, he commanded Battle Force, U.S. Fleet

Battle Fleet

The United States Battle Fleet or Battle Force was part of the organization of the United States Navy from 1922 to 1941.The General Order of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence. This fleet comprised the main body of ships in the Navy,...

, from April 1, 1935 to April 20, 1936. He was Commandant, New York Navy Yard, and 3rd Naval District from April 20, 1936 to October 1, 1937. Laning retired from the Navy on November 1, 1937, then served as Governor of the Naval Home

Philadelphia Naval Asylum

The Philadelphia Naval Asylum, later the Naval Home, was a hospital, the Philadelphia Naval School, and a home for retired sailors for the United States Navy from 1834 to 1976, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....

 in Philadelphia, until his death on February 2, 1941. He was buried in the United States Naval Academy Cemetery

United States Naval Academy Cemetery

The United States Naval Academy Cemetery and Columbarium is a cemetery at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.-History:In 1868 the Naval Academy purchased a sixty-seven acre piece of land called Strawberry Hill as part of their efforts to expand after the American Civil War....

.

The Naval War College published his memoirs in 1999.