Bill to name Glendale post office for former Navy secretary introduced

A bill to name a post office in Glendale for former U.S. Navy Secretary Paul Ignatius, a son of one of the first Armenian families to settle in the city, was introduced Friday by Rep. Adam Schiff.

“I’m pleased by this honor for a special reason — I worked at the Glendale post office as a temporary clerk when I was a college student,” Ignatius said in a statement.

The bill would name the post office at 6444 San Fernando Road for Ignatius.

Ignatius was born on Nov. 11, 1920, in Glendale. His family was one of the earliest Armenian families to have settled in Glendale in 1911. Glendale now has the second-largest Armenian population of any U.S. city, behind only Los Angeles.

Ignatius graduated from USC in 1942, enlisted in the Navy and was commissioned as an officer after beginning a master’s program at the Harvard Business School.

Ignatius was a lieutenant in the Navy during World War II, principally as an aviation ordnance officer aboard the escort aircraft carrier USS Manila Bay in the Pacific Theater, including participating in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the war’s largest naval battle.

Ignatius was assistant secretary of the Army (installations and logistics), from 1961-64; under secretary of the Army in 1964; assistant secretary of defense (installations and logistics) from 1964-1967; and U.S. Navy secretary from 1967-69, at the time the highest-ranking Armenian American in the U.S. government.

Ignatius was also president of The Washington Post for two years and president of the Air Transport Association for 15 years.

“Paul is a true son of the American Dream — born to Armenian immigrants who escaped horrific persecution overseas, he has dedicated his entire life to serving his country and advocating for his community here in Glendale,” said Schiff, D-Burbank.

“His remarkable achievements as a servicemember, a high-ranking presidential appointee, an academic, and a community leader are the kind that will be celebrated by generations of Americans to come.”