McNamee was married to Dorothy Swinburne, daughter of Admiral William T. Swinburne, with whom he had no children. For much of his life, he lived in Wisconsin, though he later moved to Jamestown, Rhode Island.
Naval career
McNamee had a 42-year career in the United States Navy. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy from Kansas, graduating in 1892. He was commissioned as an ensign on July 1, 1894. He served two years aboard the training ship before being transferred to the, where he served from 1894 to 1898. He became a lieutenant junior grade on March 3, 1899 and a lieutenant on July 1, 1900. He served as executive officer of the during the Spanish–American War. In 1901, he served aboard the battleship. From 1905 to 1908, he was assigned to the Guam Naval Station, after which he served as the naval inspector to General Electric works in Schenectady, New York and Massachusetts and the navigator of the. After serving as the first commanding officer of the, he was promoted to Captain in 1917. While on the Sacramento, he commanded all Navy forces in the Gulf of Mexico, though this only consisted seven gunboats. After his promotion, he served as chief of staff to the commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, and then to Admiral William Sims, commander of United States Naval forces in Europe. In 1919, he was on the naval advisory board at the Paris Peace Conference. In 1921, he served as commanding officer of the and the in 1923. He served as Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence. From 1924 to 1926, McNamee was appointed Naval attaché to the Court of St. James's in the United Kingdom. During his time in London, he was promoted to rear admiral. In 1926, he commanded all the Destroyers in the Battle Fleet, before becoming director of fleet training. for the next four years. After being promoted to vice admiral, he returned to the Battle Fleet to command its Battleship force, doing so from 1931 to 1932. In 1933, he achieved full admiral and commanded the entire Battle Force. On June 3, 1933, he became President of the Naval War College. He left the post on May 29, 1934 after retiring from active duty. During his career, he was awarded the Navy Cross and the French Legion of Honour.
Governorship
McNamee twice served as acting Governor of Guam: first from November 2, 1905 to December 3, 1906, and again from October 3, 1907 to December 28, 1907. As governor, he urged the United States Secretary of the Navy to invest in the control of leprosy and other infectious diseases on the island, arguing that this would be in the best interest of Navy finances, as it would protect paid personnel's productivity and the native Chamorro population, a group the Navy thought could provide cheap labor.
Business career and later life
After leaving the Navy, McNamee became President of the Mackay Radio and Telegraph Company in 1934. He aggressively expanded the company by modernizing its overseas operations. He extended service on government and private vessels using the company's equipment as well. In 1940, he led negotiations with labor unions after they shut down company operations, and was able to reach an agreement. On May 19, 1950, he became chairman of the board of directors. He also oversaw the opening of the first direct telegraph line to Bermuda. In May 1951, he resigned his position as director of both Mackay and International Telephone and Telegraph. After retiring, McNamee lived in New York City. In 1948, he succeeded Herbert Livingston Satterlee as chairman of the executive committee of the Marine Museum of the City of New York. McNamee spent the last two years of his life as a patient of the Naval Station Newport Hospital at Newport, Rhode Island. He died there on December 30, 1952.
