William E. Snyder

William Ellsworth Snyder (February 24, 1883 – December 30, 1944) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

Biography A native of South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Snyder joined the Navy from that state.

On January 4, 1910, he was serving as a chief electrician on the . On that day, while the Birmingham was anchored at Hampton Roads in Virginia, Seaman George Hilldyberth Kephart fell overboard into the freezing cold water. Although the temperature was around and a strong tide was running, Snyder jumped into the water and rescued Kephart from drowning. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor two months later, on March 2, 1910. The medal was formally presented to him by President William Howard Taft at the White House on December 13 of that year.