World War II Eugene Willford "Gene" Markey (December 11, 1895 – May 1, 1980) was an American writer, producer, screenwriter, and highly decorated naval officer.

Soon after he arrived in Hollywood in 1929, it was also reported that, "Markey became the most sought after unattached man in the cinema firmament, so sprinkled with far handsomer, richer male stars."

"[2] After his graduation from Dartmouth, Markey became a lieutenant in the infantry during World War I (which the United States had entered in 1917) and saw action at the Battle of Belleau Wood.

During the war, Markey rose to the rank of commodore and served as an assistant intelligence officer on the staff of Fleet Admiral William "Bull" Halsey at Guadalcanal.

For the rest of his life, he would promptly toss any mail (including bills) that wasn't addressed to Admiral Markey into the trash.

Still another was Eastern Fleet (possibly named as a tribute to his service in the Navy), which would finish fourth in the 1971 Kentucky Derby and second in the Preakness Stakes.

[5] Shortly after this marriage, Markey would become good friends with Ralph Wilson, who later was the founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League.

Dividing his time between Lexington, Kentucky, Saratoga Springs, New York, and Miami Beach, Florida (with an occasional trip to Europe thrown in), he continued to write.

Markey was very fond of the time he spent in Kentucky, quickly becoming a fixture on its social scene and becoming good friends with many members of the thoroughbred racing community.

He also had two brands of private reserve bourbon distilled that he named "Old Commodore" (as a tribute to his service in the U.S. Navy) and "Old Calumet Cabin" (after his writing room).

On July 31, 1958, Admiral Markey was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel (a ceremonial rank) by Governor Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler Sr.

He also served as the model for the character played by Burgess Meredith in the 1965 film In Harm's Way, starring his good friend John Wayne.