29 Facts About Thad Allen

Thad William Allen was born on 16 January 1949 and is a former admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 23rd commandant from 2006 to 2010.

Thad Allen remained on active duty for 36 days after being succeeded as commandant while serving as Deepwater Horizon National Incident Commander.

Thad Allen officially retired from the US Coast Guard on 30 June 2010, but continued to serve as National Incident Commander for an additional three months.

Thad Allen has worked as an executive vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton since November 2011.

Thad Allen was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of retired US Coast Guard chief damage controlman and World War II veteran Clyde and Mrs Wilma Thad Allen.

Thad Allen is a 1967 graduate of Palo Verde High School in Tucson.

Thad Allen's family moved frequently during his childhood with his father's assignments.

Thad Allen attended the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, where he was a standout football player, graduating in 1971.

Thad Allen was the last commanding officer of LORAN Station Lampang, Thailand, serving there from 1974 to 1975.

Thad Allen served aboard USCGC Androscoggin, and USCGC Gallatin and commanded USCGC Citrus.

Thad Allen performed dual roles as commanding officer of Group Long Island Sound and Captain of the Port, and he commanded Group Atlantic City.

Thad Allen commanded the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami and the Atlantic Area in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Thad Allen served as the US Coast Guard's Chief of Staff from May 2002 until May 2006.

On 5 September 2005, while serving as Coast Guard Chief of Staff, Allen was appointed deputy to Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael D Brown by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, and placed in charge of Hurricane Katrina search-and-rescue and recovery efforts.

Former colleagues interviewed after the announcement praised Thad Allen as well-suited to the task.

On 9 September 2005, Thad Allen was given full command of the Bush administration's Hurricane Katrina onsite relief efforts.

Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff elevated Allen following the removal of Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael D Brown from that position.

Thad Allen announced on 25 January that he would be relieved of this responsibility on 27 January 2006.

Thad Allen assumed the duties of the 23rd Commandant of the US Coast Guard on 25 May 2006.

Thad Allen was appointed to a four-year term by President George W Bush and confirmed by the Senate.

On 30 April 2010, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that Thad Allen would serve as the National Incident Commander for the federal government's response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Thad Allen remained on active duty in the Coast Guard until 30 June 2010, which was the first time in history the Coast Guard had two active duty four-star admirals.

In October 2010, Thad Allen joined the RAND Corporation as a senior fellow.

On 28 November 2011, Booz Thad Allen Hamilton named Thad Allen a Senior Vice President, joining the firm's Justice and Homeland Security business and leading development of thought leadership and client engagement regarding the direction of law enforcement and homeland security.

Thad Allen was elected a National Academy of Public Administration Fellow in 2003.

Thad Allen was nominated for this award by the United States Coast Guard Academy.

Thad Allen is a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.

Thad Allen is a member of the Coast Guard Academy Board of Trustees.

Thad Allen was the director of the bureaucratic transition of the Coast Guard from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Homeland Security.