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]
President	Richard M. Nixon Gerald R. Ford
Preceded by	John L. McLucas
Succeeded by	Thomas C. Reed
Personal details
Born	(1920-01-29)January 29, 1920 Idaho Springs, Colorado, United States
Died	January 16, 2013(2013-01-16) (aged 92) Medford, Oregon, United States
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley University of Maryland
Profession	Engineering
Awards	Charles 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.

External links

• National Reconnaissance Office: Directors List

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