Russell R . Waesche Russell Randolph Waesche , Sr . ( January 6 , 1886 – October 17 , 1946 ) served as the eighth Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 1936 to 1946 , overseeing the service during World War II . He also holds the distinction of being the longest serving Commandant , serving ten years in command of the United States Coast Guard . In addition , he was the first to hold the ranks of Vice Admiral and full Admiral within the Coast Guard . Early life . Waesche was born and raised in Thurmont , Maryland . He was fifth of the eight children of Leonard Randolph Waesche and Mary Martha Foreman . Waesche ' s grandfather George Henry Waesche was a German immigrant who had become a prominent figure in Carroll County , Maryland . Following graduation from high school , Russell Waesche attended Purdue University for a year before transferring to the U . S . Revenue Cutter Service School of Instruction and accepting an appointment as a cadet in 1904 . He graduated from the Revenue Cutter School of Instruction in 1906 . Military service . After graduating with the rank of ensign , Wasche served in the North Atlantic , the Great Lakes , and the Pacific Northwest . In 1911 , Waesche commanded the and the . In 1915 , Wasche was assigned to headquarters in Washington , D . C . While stationed in Washington 1915 , he took an active part in creating the Coast Guard with the merger of the Revenue Cutter Service and the Lifesaving Service . Waesche remained in Washington and in 1916 , became the head of the communications division . During World War I , Waesche remained in Washington . In 1919 , the 18th Amendment was passed , and Waesche was assigned to enforce Prohibition at sea . He commanded various destroyers in preventing " rum runners " from entering port . He commanded the USCGC " Beale " ( CG - 9 ) . After he served on the Beale , he went to the Philadelphia Navy Yard and was the USCG representative at the US Sesquicentennial International Expo . He later commanded the USCGC " Tucker " ( CG - 23 ) . Waesche also commanded the cutters and USCGC " Snohomish " . At the Coast Guard Headquarters , Waesche started the Coast Guard Institute and Correspondence School for warrant officers and enlisted personnel as well as the reorganization of Coast Guard field forces in 1932 . In February 1932 , he became liaison officer in the War Plans Division , Office of the Chief of Naval Operations , Navy Department . After completion of this duty he served as aide to Commandant Harry G . Hamlet , then he was Chief of the Finance Division , and Assistant Commandant . He was appointed Commandant as Rear Admiral on 14 June 1936 , and was largely responsible for the merger of the Lighthouse Service with the Coast Guard in 1939 . He was also instrumental in organizing a strong Coast Guard Reserve which underwent its greatest expansion in history . During World War II , Waesche held command over the Coast Guard and received honors for his service . Waesche retired from the Coast Guard on December 31 , 1945 , after the longest tenure as Commandant ever . In March 1946 , President Harry S . Truman nominated the ten top wartime Generals and Admirals of the United States Armed Forces who were to retain permanently their wartime rank . Admiral Waesche was one of them . Waesche died on 17 October 1946 , nine months after retiring as Commandant , at the Naval Hospital in Bethesda , Maryland due to complications of leukemia . He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery . For his service during World War II , Wasche was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and the Navy Commendation Ribbon . The cutter is named in his honor .