Ernest King pushed the Essex-class carrier program

Was one person especially responsible for driving the Essex-class design?

Ernest King was a major advocate, using his General Board position to push the Navy toward new carriers.

Ernest King was the notable institutional advocate behind the emerging carrier program. While serving on the General Board, he repeatedly argued that the United States needed new aircraft carriers. His pressure helped move other officers and planners toward pursuing the design. His later wartime prominence grew from prewar work that converted requirements into a building program.