James W. Plummer

James W. Plummer (January 29, 1920 – January 16, 2013) was an engineer who served as the fifth Director of the National Reconnaissance Office. Plummer was the first Director NRO to come from private industry. He previously served as the Lockheed Corporation program manager for the CORONA and LANYARD imaging systems. Plummer focused on developing the second generation of U.S. satellites – the electro-optical systems.[2] He earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland in 1953.[3] In 2005 he received the Charles Stark Draper Prize for his contributions to the CORONA project.[4] He died at Medford, Oregon in 2013. He was 92.[5]

James W. Plummer
5th Director of the National Reconnaissance Office
In office
December 21, 1973[1] – June 28, 1976[1]
PresidentRichard M. Nixon
Gerald R. Ford
Preceded byJohn L. McLucas
Succeeded byThomas C. Reed
Personal details
Born(1920-01-29)January 29, 1920
Idaho Springs, Colorado, United States
DiedJanuary 16, 2013(2013-01-16) (aged 92)
Medford, Oregon, United States
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
University of Maryland
ProfessionEngineering
AwardsCharles Stark Draper Prize

References
  1. Laurie, Clayton. Leaders of the National Reconnaissance Office 1961-2001. Office of the Historian, National Reconnaissance Office. 1 May 2002.
  2. National Reconnaissance Office: James W. Plummer official biography Archived 2009-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Innovation Hall of Fame, University of Maryland, retrieved February 15, 2010.
  4. Previous Recipients of the Charles Stark Draper Prize, National Academy of Engineering, retrieved February 15, 2010.
  5. "James W. Plummer". MailTribune.com. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
Government offices
Preceded by
John L. McLucas		 United States Under Secretary of the Air Force
December 21, 1973 – June 28, 1976		 Succeeded by
Hans Mark



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