Celebrating the Service of a Great American

Happy 102nd Birthday
Former Secretary of the Navy Paul R. Ignatius

Cleveland, OH November 11, 2022. Bartlett Maritime Corporation is pleased to wish a very Happy 102nd Birthday to former Secretary of the Navy Paul R. Ignatius, whose lifetime of service to this great Nation sets a continuing example of greatness for all Americans.

Secretary Ignatius was born shortly after the end of the world’s last great pandemic, the H1N1 Flu pandemic, which lasted from February 1918 through April 1920 and killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide.

He was born to an immigrant family from the small western Asia Republic of Armenia and his life defines the “American Dream” which has attracted so many from the furthest corners of the world to seek the freedoms and opportunity which are uniquely “America.”

The arc of his long life saw the United States transform itself from a nation which had only recently emerged in a significant way on the world stage with the global voyage of President Theodore Roosevelt’s “Great White Fleet” through two World Wars and then the Cold War to become the world’s greatest power and its guarantor of peace and stability. Secretary Ignatius was a key contributor to this transformation through his long service in and to the US Navy.

Growing up in Glendale, CA in the area’s first Armenian family, he attended the University of Southern California, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Tau with a bachelor’s degree before joining the US Navy for World War 2 active duty. He served as an officer, rising to Lieutenant, in combat in the Pacific theatre aboard USS Manila Bay (CVE 61), a Casablanca Class escort carrier, where he distinguished himself during combat in the Battle off Samar (Leyte Gulf) and later following the kamikaze attacks at Lingayen Gulf.

Following the war Secretary Ignatius attended Harvard Business School, graduating with an MBA and then co-founding the consulting firm Harbridge House, whose clients included the US Navy and the then-new Department of Defense. When the Kennedy Administration, under Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, determined to bring a group of management professionals into the Defense Department Secretary Ignatius accepted President Kennedy’s request that he join DoD. His several Senate-confirmed roles culminated in his service, from 1967 – 1969, as Secretary of the Navy.

After completing his government service Secretary Ignatius held multiple leadership roles in the private sector, including as President of The Washington Post. Secretary Ignatius has 2 sons; David is a columnist for The Washington Post and Adi is editor-in-chief of The Harvard Business Review. He also has 2 daughters; Amy is a Superior Court Judge in New Hampshire and Sarah, also an attorney, has long experience leading non-profit organizations. Secretary Ignatius now lives in Washington, where he remains active.

USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), commissioned in 2019, honors Secretary Ignatius.

Commenting on Secretary Ignatius’ remarkable life, Bartlett Maritime Corporation Chairman and Chief Executive Officer CAPT Edward Bartlett, notes “Whenever we attend events in Washington where Secretary Ignatius also attends, it is always a great pleasure to have the opportunity to chat with him. His experience and perspective are unique; it is a learning experience every time.”

Paul R. Ignatius, with Escort at the Commissioning of
USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117)

Continuing, Bartlett noted, “Secretary Ignatius is truly an example of the best of America and how great lives include service back to our great nation.”

Bartlett Maritime Corporation President and Chief Operating Officer Jacqueline O’Brien also noted, “It was a true pleasure to recently meet Secretary Ignatius, and to chat with him. At the same event, I also particularly enjoyed chatting with Sarah Ignatius, discussing how the family celebrates their Armenian heritage in America. I join in wishing Secretary Ignatius and his family a very Happy Birthday.”