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Adapted from "Rear Admiral Carlton Leverett Andrus, Medical Corps, United States Navy, Deceased" [biography, dated 3 March 1950] in Modern Biographical Files collection, Navy Department Library.
 

 
Topic
  • Medicine
  • Cruises, Deployments, and Exercises
Document Type
  • Biography
Wars & Conflicts
  • World War I 1917-1918
  • World War II 1939-1945
File Formats
Location of Archival Materials
  • NHHC-Library

Carlton Leverett Andrus

10 February 1888-16 September 1963

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Carlton Leverett Andrus was born on February 10, 1888, at Monrovia, California, son of Rudolph Case Andrus and Emma Gilbert Andrus.  His education was received at the College of the Pacific and Leland Stanford University (AB degree-1915).  He received from the latter the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1917.

After a brief internship he was appointed Assistant Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant (jg) in the Medical Corps of the US Naval Reserve Force on August 21, 1917.  He was transferred to the Medical Corps of the US Navy on January 1, 1918, and he subsequently progressed in grade until his promotion to Commodore, April 3, 1945.  His promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral was approved by the President on December 9, 1946, and confirmed by the Senate on January 29, 1947, to date from July 15, 1942.  His retirement became effective on February 1, 1950.

Following his appointment in the Medical Corps of the Naval Reserve in 1917, he was assigned for the course of instruction at the Naval Medical School, Washington, DC.  Thereafter he reported to Headquarters, San Diego Section Base, pending assignment to sea duty.  He served a Junior medical officer of the battleship Oregon, Pacific Fleet, and after two years was reassigned to duty on the staff, Laboratory and Surgical Service, US Naval Hospital, Puget Sound, Washington, 1919-20.  His next service was as Division Medical Officer, Destroyer Division 13, Asiatic Fleet, followed by a brief assignment on the staff of Surgical Service, US Naval Hospital, Canacao, PI.  He served another year while on Asiatic Station as Division Medical Officer, Destroyer Division 38, Asiatic Fleet.

Returning to the United States in 1922, he served the next two years on the staff of Commander Surgical and Medical Service, US Naval Hospital, San Diego, California, transferring in 1924 to the Marine Corps Base there, for staff duty.  In 1925 he served several months as Junior Medical Officer of USS West Virginia, with the Pacific Fleet, and was then assigned as Division Medical Officer, Destroyer Division 32, Pacific Fleet, serving that tour at sea from 1925 to 1927.

He was ordered in 1927 to Marine Corps Base, San Diego, and again had staff duty until 1928, when he transferred to the US Naval Hospital there for staff duty.  He attended the University of California 1929-30 for the post-graduate course, and upon completion of that course he assumed duty as Chief of the Urological Service, USS Relief, Pacific Fleet.  He reported in 1932 to the US Naval Hospital, Brooklyn, New York, to await further orders, and the next four years he had duty as Chief of Urological Service, US Naval Hospital, Washington, DC, with additional duty as Instructor, Naval Medical School, Washington, DC, and when detached in 1936 he assumed duty as Senior Medical Officer of USS New York with the Atlantic Fleet.

A tour of duty at the US Naval Hospital,  Annapolis, Maryland, 1938-39 was followed by duty at the Navy Department, Washington, DC, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery as Chief of the Planning Division, 1939 to 1946.  During the war (May-August 1942) he had temporary duty as a member of the board headed by Admiral R.E. Byrd that inspected all bases in the South Pacific Area.  He was awarded the Legion of Merit and cited “For exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Officer in Charge of the War Plans Division, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, throughout World War II.  Qualified for his work by thorough experience in hospital construction, Commodore Andrus rendered invaluable service in expanding the Navy’s major medical facilities from sixteen hospitals to sixty and in providing an adequate number of general, special and convalescent hospital beds to insure the highest standard of care for personnel of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.  His skill and initiative were essential factors I developing our mobile Fleet, evacuation and base hospitals and in improving the design of medical and surgical facilities on all types of ships….”

From June 1946 he served as Assistant Chief of the Bureau for Planning and Logistics.  Ordered overseas in January 1947, he served as Medical Officer in Command, US Naval Medical Center, Guam, with additional duty on the staffs of the Commander Marianas, and the Naval Governor of Guam and was detached from those in duties in June 1948 to return home.

He reported to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Department and after several months there was assigned as District Medical Officer, Third Naval District, New York, New York, in which duty he was serving when relieved of all active duty pending his retirement on February 1, 1950.

In addition to the Legion of Merit, Rear Admiral Andrus has the Victory Medal (World War I), the American Defense Service Medal; the American Campaign Medal; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; and the World War II Victory Medical.

Rear Admiral Andrus is a fellow of the American Medical Association, the American College of Surgeons, member of the Army-Navy Country Club and Nu Sigma Nu medical fraternity.

He died September 16, 1963.

END

Published: Mon Sep 28 09:36:23 EDT 2020