On This Day In Alabama History: Florence Native Became Navy’s First Female Rear Admiral
By Graydon Rust
Alabama 200
June 1, 1976
Florence native Fran McKee became the first female unrestricted line officer in American history to achieve the rank of rear admiral in the U.S. Navy. McKee was commissioned as an ensign in the Navy in 1950 and was one of the first two women selected to attend the Naval War College. She was the first woman assigned to head an activity of the Naval Security Group Command and served as the senior female naval officer on the Committee to Study Equal Rights for Women in the Military. McKee was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor and the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame.
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