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Horacio Rivero, Jr.
May 16, 1910–September 24, 2000 (aged 90)
Admiral Horacio Rivero, Jr. First Puerto Rican and second Hispanic to become a four-star Admiral in the United States Navy
Place of birth	Ponce, Puerto Rico
Place of death	Puerto Rico
Allegiance	United States Navy
Years of service	1931-1972
Rank	Admiral
Commands	USS William C. Lawe (DD-763) USS Noble (APA-218) Amphibious forces, Atlantic Fleet Commander of Allied Forces in Southern Europe
Battles/wars	World War II Korean War Cuban Missile Crisis Vietnam War
Awards	Navy Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal with “V”
Other work	U.S. Ambassador to Spain

Admiral Horacio Rivero, Jr. (USN) (May 16, 1910–September 24, 2000, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico) was the first Hispanic to become a four-star Admiral in the modern United States Navy. David Glasgow Farragut (1801– 1870), a Hispanic, became the first full admiral of the Navy during the American Civil War. After retiring from the Navy, Rivero served as the U.S. Ambassador to Spain (1972–1974), and was also the first Hispanic to hold that position.

Contents 1 Early years 2 Military career 3 Post-Navy career 4 Awards and Recognitions 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links

Rivero was born in 1910 in Ponce, in southern Puerto Rico. On June 20, 1927, he received an appointment from the Honorable Felix Cordova Davila, Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner to attend the United States Naval Academy. On June 4, 1931, he graduated third in a class of 441 from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He earned his Master's Degree in Electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1940.^[1]

During World War II, he served aboard the USS San Juan (CL-54) and was involved in providing artillery cover for Marines landing on Guadalcanal, Marshall Islands, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. For his service he was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat “V”. Rivero was reassigned to the USS Pittsburgh (CA-72). The Pittsburgh’s bow had been torn off during a typhoon and Rivero’s strategies saved his ship without a single life lost. For his actions he was awarded the Legion of Merit. He also participated in the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, the attack on Bougainville in the Solomons, the capture of the Gilbert Islands and a series of carrier raids on Rabaul. On June 5, 1945, Rivero was present during the first carrier raids against Tokyo during operations in the vicinity of Nansei Shoto.

After the war, Rivero commanded two ships, the USS William C. Lawe (DD-763) and USS Noble (APA-218). He studied at the National War College and in 1954 he became Assistant Chief of Staff for Naval Operations. In 1955, he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral and was a member of the Staff of the Commander in Chief, Western Atlantic Area.

In October 1962, Admiral Rivero found himself in the middle of the Cuban Missile Crisis. As Commander of amphibious forces, Atlantic Fleet, he was on the front line of the vessels sent to the Caribbean by President Kennedy to stop the Cold War from escalating into World War III.^[2]

On July 31, 1964, Rivero became the first Puerto Rican, and first Hispanic to become a four-star Admiral in the modern era US Navy. It must be noted that David Glasgow Farragut (1801– 1870), a Hispanic, became the first full admiral of the Navy during the American Civil War. During the Vietnam War, Rivero oversaw the day-to-day work of the Navy as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations. He was a stern supporter of a “brown-water navy,” or riverine force, on the rivers of South Vietnam. From 1968 until his retirement from the Navy in 1972, Admiral Rivero was the Commander of Allied Forces in Southern Europe.

From 1972 to 1975 Admiral Rivero served as the U.S. Ambassador to Spain under the administration of President Richard M. Nixon from 1972 to 1974.

Rivero was the Honorary Chairman of the American Veterans’ Committee for Puerto Rico Self-Determination.^[3]

Admiral Horacio Rivero died on September 24, 2000 and was buried in the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, California.

Among Admiral Rivero's decorations and medals were the following:

•   Navy Distinguished Service Medal
•   Legion of Merit
•   Bronze Star Medal with “V”
•   Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
•   World War II Victory Medal
•   National Defense Service Medal
•   Korean Service Medal
•   United Nations Service Medal
•   Vietnam Campaign Medal
•   Vietnam Service Medal

• Puerto Ricans in World War II
• List of famous Puerto Ricans – Military
• Hispanic Admirals in the United States Navy
• List of Korean War veterans who are recipients of the Bronze Star

1. ^ Dorr, Navy Times 2004.
2. ^ Barlow, NHC 2003.
3. ^ Our Leadership. American Veteran's Committee for Puerto Rico Self-Determination. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.

• American Veteran's Committee for Puerto Rico Self-Determination. Retrieved 2006-10-21.
• Robert F. Dorr (January 26, 2004). Damn the Torpedoes! Former VCNO excelled in combat, technical roles [Horacio Rivero Jr]. Navy Times. Archived from the original on January 21, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.

• Jeffrey G. Barlow (22 September 2003). Some Aspects of the U.S. Navy's Participation in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Colloquium on Contemporary History. Naval Historical Center, United States Navy. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.

• Index to Politicians. The Political Graveyard. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
• Honoring Admiral Horacio Rivero. La Casa de Puerto Rico, San Diego. Retrieved on 2006-08-17.
• Ambassadors to Spain. United States Department of State.

Preceded by Robert C. Hill

U.S. Ambassador to Spain 1972–1974

Succeeded by Wells Stabler