Joseph K. Taussig Jr.

Joseph Knefler Taussig Jr. (May 28, 1920 – December 14, 1999) was a United States Navy officer during and after World War II, and a Navy civilian official in the 1980s. He was the son of Vice Admiral Joseph Taussig, and the grandson of Rear Admiral Edward David Taussig.

Joseph Knefler Taussig Jr
Official photograph of Taussig as a junior officer
Born(1920-05-28)May 28, 1920
Newport, Rhode Island, US
DiedDecember 14, 1999(1999-12-14) (aged 79)
Annapolis, Maryland, US
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Navy
Years of service1941-1954
RankCaptain
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsNavy Cross, Purple Heart[1]
RelationsVice Admiral Joseph Taussig (father)
Rear Admiral Edward David Taussig (grandfather)

Early life and education

Taussig was born in Newport, Rhode Island, on May 28, 1920.[2] After attending high school in Washington D.C., Taussig entered the United States Naval Academy and graduated on February 7, 1941. He then was assigned to USS Nevada (BB-36).[3]

Pearl Harbor attack

Taussig was the officer of the deck of USS Nevada and senior officer in charge of her anti-aircraft batteries during the Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.[4] Taussig was severely wounded but refused to leave his station until the crew forcibly carried him away. He ended up having his leg amputated, then returned to duty three days later.[5] He received the Navy Cross for his actions that day.[6][3][7]

When he retired from active duty in 1954, at age 34, he was the youngest captain in the Navy.[6]

Civilian service
Taussig as civilian Defense Department employee in 1983

In 1981 he returned to Navy service as a civilian.[8] Taussig was "the [U.S.] Navy's first designated high-level safety specialist" and self-styled "safety czar", appointed as a civilian special assistant to the Secretary of the Navy in 1985.[9] He twice received the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award.[6]

Personal life

Taussig married Betty Bostwick Carney, daughter of Rear Admiral Robert Bostwick Carney (future Chief of Naval Operations), in 1943.[10] He died from an embolism at Anne Arundel Medical Center, on December 14, 1999, aged 79.[6][7] Betty Carney Taussig established the Joseph K. Taussig Jr. Award at the United States Naval Academy in 2001, in memory of her husband.[11] She died at the age of 94 on April 27, 2015.[12] Taussig and his wife are buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery.

Namesake

The Executive Suite at the United States Naval Institute headquarters in Annapolis is named in his honor.

References
  1. Paul Girsdansky (December 6, 1987). "His ship was only one to move". Annapolis Capital. p. D1 – via Newspaper Archive.
  2. Social Security death index, U.S. Social Security Administration
  3. Neal Thompson (December 7, 1998). "Navy veteran proudly bears scars of Pearl Survivor: Joe Taussig's story is of a man, a ship and what happened to both Dec. 7, 1941". The Baltimore Sun.
  4. "70th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor", Naval History Blog, U.S. Naval Institute, December 6, 2011
  5. Cutler & Baker 2004.
  6. "Capt. Joseph Taussig Dies". The Washington Post. December 17, 1999.
  7. "Capt. Joseph Taussig Jr., 79, awarded the Navy Cross". The Baltimore Sun. December 18, 1999.
  8. Douglas Lamborne (December 6, 1999). "Aboard Nevada, Annapolis man made sacrifice at Pearl Harbor". The Baltimore Sun.
  9. Simon 1989.
  10. "Milestones", Time, December 13, 1943
  11. "Mid Receives Gift in Honor of Captain Joseph K. Taussig Jr". United States Navy. May 24, 2002. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  12. "Betty Carney Taussig". Baltimore Sun. May 3, 2015. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018. Alt URL

Sources

Further reading
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