Commandant of The Coast Guard - Evolution of The Rank and Title

Evolution of The Rank and Title

The title of Commandant dates to a 1923 act that distributed the commissioned line and engineer officers of the Coast Guard in grades. Before 1923, the rank and title of the head of the Coast Guard was "captain-commandant." The rank "captain-commandant" originated in the Revenue Cutter Service in 1908. The original holder of that rank was the Chief of the Revenue Cutter Service (also known as the Revenue Marine). The Coast Guard traces the lineage of Commandants back to Captain Leonard G. Shepard, chief of the Revenue Marine Bureau, even though he never officially received the title of Captain-Commandant. The Captain-Commandant position was created in 1908 when Captain Worth G. Ross was the first to actually hold the position. Although he was retired, Captain Charles F. Shoemaker was elevated to the rank of Captain-Commandant. Captain Shepard had already died and was not elevated to the rank.

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