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Contact Info
Home Town Tuxedo Park, New York
Last Address Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, New York City, NY.
Date of Passing Sep 07, 1994
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Alfred "Lee" Loomis
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran, Flag Lieutenant (rank of commander)
to Vice Admiral Towers during World War Two.
Olympic Gold Medal, 1948.
Mr. Alfred "Lee" Loomis Jr., a businessman and avid sailor, died last Wednesday, 7 September, 1994, at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, where he had been admitted for tests. The cause of death was not known, said his daughter, Candace DiLello. He was 81.
Mr. Loomis had homes in Bluffton, S.C., and Oyster Bay, L.I. During his mid-30's he won a gold medal in the 1948 Olympic Games in Britain while sailing a 6-Meter yacht. In 1977, he was manager of the Independence-Courageous syndicate, the yachting team that successfully defended the America's Cup that year.
After spending his childhood in Tuxedo Park, N.Y., Mr. Loomis graduated from Harvard College in 1935 and from Harvard Law School in 1939. He served as a flag lieutenant in the United States Navy in World War II and served as a personal assistant to (then Vice) Admiral John Towers throughout the war. (Flag Lieutenant was a temporary rank during WWI which was senior to a naval Captain but now is a term used to identify an adjutant or "aide de camp"). He then became one of the nation's first venture capitalists. He was involved with domestic oil and gas drilling operations.
VAdm. Towers, WWII:
Promoted to vice admiral on 6 October 1942, Towers became Commander Air Force, Pacific Fleet. From this billet, he wisely and effectively supervised the development, organization, training, and supply of the Fleet's growing aviation capability. For his sound judgment and keen resourcefulness, Towers received, successively, the Legion of Merit Medal and the Distinguished Service Medal. In August 1945, he received command of the 2d Carrier Task Force and Task Force 38, Pacific Fleet. On 7 November 1945, he broke his flag in the battleship New Jersey (BB-62) as Commander, 5th Fleet.
Other Comments:
Olympic Gold Medal
1948
He competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, where he won a gold medal in the 6 metre class with the boat Uanoria, together with Herman Whiton, James Smith, Michael Mooney, who later married his daughter, Nancy, and James Weekes.
Lee Loomis was a 1935 graduate of Harvard who went on to Harvard law school. He then entered the navy and served as a personal assistant to Admiral John Towers throughout the war. Upon returning home he began as an investment banker, but switched to a partnership as an independent gas and oil producer. Loomis was an avid yachtsman. In addition to his Olympic gold medal, he served as the manager for both "Courageous" and "Independence" during the 1977 America's Cup Trials. "Courageous" won the trials and easily won the Cup, so Loomis ended up as the victorious manager.
NORTHERN LIGHT yacht:
The big yawl was designed for Alfred Lee Loomis, Jr. Northern Light was a gift to 24-year old Lee Loomis, Jr., from his father in 1938 as an incentive to keep his son from going off to Europe where war was eminent.
1942-1945, Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMNAVAIRPAC)
He served as a flag lieutenant in the United States Navy in World War II and served as a personal assistant to (then Vice) Admiral John Towers throughout the war. (Flag Lieutenant was a temporary rank during WWI which was senior to a naval Captain but now is a term used to identify an adjutant or "aide de camp").
