Alan Boyd Banister (February 4, 1905 – November 1, 1963) was a decorated submarine commander during World War II who reached the rank of Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. Although Bannister was born in 1905 in what is now Oklahoma, his family had a long history in Virginia.One of his ancestors was John Banister of Virginia, one of the commissioners responsible for the United States Articles of Confederation of 1776. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1928. After his commissioning he attended the Navy's submarine school. In 1938 he took command of the USS R-2.