Julien J. Le Bourgeois papers

VADM Julien Johnson LeBurgeois (1923-2012) served as the 38th President of the Naval War College, 1974-1977. Born in Southern Pines, North Carolina, LeBourgeois attended Georgia Military Academy prior to entering the U.S. Naval Academy in 1941. Upon graduation in 1944, he served as gunnery officer in USS Columbia through the end of World War II. He saw additional destroyer duty aboard USS Harveson and USS Brownson before attending the Naval Intelligence and Naval Language Schools in 1949.

LeBourgeois joined the Office of Naval Intelligence in 1950 and served as assistant naval attache in Tangier, Morocco from 1951 to 1953. Following staff assignments with Commander, Destroyer Flotilla 4 and the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, LeBourgeois served as executive officer on USS Blandy before assuming command of USS Norris in 1959. In 1961, he was briefly assigned to the staff of Commander, Destroyer Force, Atlantic (COMDESLANT) before returning to Washington D.C. to attend the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. From 1962 to 1965, he served in the Office of Chief of Naval Operations. During this period, he also earned a graduate degree in international affairs from George Washington University. He returned to sea duty in 1965, taking command of USS Halsey during the Vietnam War.

In 1967, LeBourgeois returned to the Office of Chief of Naval Operations as senior aide. Rising to the rank of rear admiral in 1970, LeBourgeois became Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Plans and Policy to NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). He was promoted to vice admiral in 1972 and became chief of staff to NATO Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT), succeeding VADM Richard Colbert in that position. LeBourgeois assumed the presidency of the Naval War College following the tenure of VADM Stansfield Turner. He retired from active duty in 1974, having twice been awarded both the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. He also was awarded the Bronze Star. Upon retirement, he relocated to Tamworth and then New London, New Hampshire, where he established a continuing education program, Adventures in Learning, at Colby-Sawyer College. He died in 2012 in Williamsburg, Virginia.