Sheldon Whitehouse: “I rise today to wish a happy 100th birthday to J. William Middendorf II, known to family and friends as Bill. Bill lives…”

“I rise today to wish a happy 100th birthday to J. William Middendorf II, known to family and friends as Bill. Bill lives in Little Compton, RI, and celebrated this remarkable milestone on Sunday. Bill led a distinguished career in public service. He served in World War II as a naval engineering officer and navigator. He was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands in 1969. Following his ambassadorship, he served as Under Secretary of the Navy. In 1974, Middendorf was appointed by President Nixon to serve as the 62nd Secretary of the Navy. During his leadership in the Navy, Middendorf championed the Navy's submarine program and oversaw the creation of General Dynamics Electric Boat's Quonset Point location. Rhode Islanders know well the importance of the Quonset Point facility to our State's economy and its role at the forefront of our national security efforts. Bill was also instrumental in the development of the F/A 18 Hornet, which was in part named for the Revolutionary warship, the USS Hornet that had been commissioned by his ancestor, Captain William Stone. And he approved the first Marine Corps Marathon, which is still run to this day. Last December, I was very pleased to take to the Senate floor to celebrate that an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer was named USS J. William Middendorf, which follows the tradition of naming destroyers after U.S. naval leaders.…”