Admiral John Grouille Williams, Jr. was a four star admiral who served as Chief of Naval Material (CNM), 1981–1983. Williams was born in 1924 in Portland, Oregon, the son of John G. and Julia (Hoare) Williams. He was raised in Ilwaco, Washington, where he graduated from Ilwaco High School. Williams graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1946 as a member of the class of 1947. He retired from the Navy in 1983 and died in 1991 of lung cancer.