Adm. Willard J. Smith; Former Coast Guard Commandant

Adm. Willard J. Smith, 89, a former commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. Born in Suttons Bay, Mich., he served as commandant from July 1966 until his retirement in June 1970. During his tenure, he oversaw the Coast Guard’s move from the Treasury Department to the Department of Transportation in 1967. Smith was the first aviator to serve as commandant and held previous posts with the Coast Guard in Cleveland and New London, Conn. He was the oldest living former commandant at the time of his death. On April 1 in Atlantic Beach, Fla.