Paul Robert Ignatius

Paul Robert Ignatius (November 11, 1920 – November 6, 2025) was an American government official and businessman who served as the 59th United States Secretary of the Navy between 1967 and 1969 during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. He had previously been the United States Under Secretary of the Army in 1964. During his time as Navy Secretary, Ignatius was the highest-ranking Armenian American in the United States government. Ignatius's ancestors came from the historic Armenian settlement of Ağın near Kharpert (present-day Elazığ, Turkey).

Ignatius received his bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California (Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Tau) and his MBA degree from Harvard Business School.

Government career In 1961, Ignatius began working at the Pentagon under U.S. Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara.

Ignatius began working as the Assistant Secretary for Installations and Logistics, a role he would hold from 1961 to 1967 under both Presidents Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson (under the Department of the Army from 1961 to February 1964, and then under the Department of Defense from December 26, 1964 to August 31, 1967). Ignatius briefly served as the Under Secretary of the Army from February 1964 to December 1964. Ignatius was nominated following the death of John McNaughton in an airplane crash. McNaughton was Johnson's original nominee to replace outgoing Secretary Paul Nitze.

During his time as Navy secretary, Ignatius oversaw the military's actions during the Vietnam War.

Ignatius's tenure as Navy secretary ended in January 1969 shortly after Richard Nixon was inaugurated as president. He also worked at the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs.

Ignatius also served as chairman, president, and CEO of Air Transport Association. He also authored two books: On Board: My Life in the Navy, Government, and Business and Now I Know in Part: Stories of My Growing Up. Sharpless died in January 2019 from breast cancer. Amy Ignatius is a Superior Court Judge in New Hampshire. Sarah Ignatius is a non-profit executive director.

Ignatius turned 100 on November 11, 2020, and died at his home in Washington, D.C., on November 6, 2025, at the age of 104, five days from what would have been his 105th birthday.

Legacy On May 23, 2013, the Navy announced that an , would be named for him. It was commissioned at Port Everglades, Florida, on July 27, 2019.

Ignatius was also inducted into the USC Hall of Fame and received honors at the Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center.