[1][2] He was a great-grandson of the inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, and brother of Gilbert M. Grosvenor, former chairman of the National Geographic Society.

In the summer of 1947, he sailed with many of his classmates on a Navy training exercise to Europe and subsequently wrote about his experiences in an article entitled "Midshipmen's Cruise" in the June 1948 issue of National Geographic, coauthored with fellow midshipman William J.

[9] Following a tour as a flight instructor, he served in the Mediterranean aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-60) as aide and flag lieutenant to Commander, Sixth Fleet.

[1] An F-4B fighter jet flown by Grosvenor when he was squadron commander of the Freelancers, now known as "The Midway Phantom," is on display at the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum.

[13] In the early 1970s, Grosvenor served at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River where he was "director of testing for some of the Navy's newest aircraft" according to the Annapolis Capital.