31 Facts About James McCormack

James McCormack then returned to the War Department General Staff, where he served in the Operations and Plans Division.

In 1947, James McCormack was chosen as the Director of Military Applications of the United States Atomic Energy Commission with the rank of brigadier general.

James McCormack took a pragmatic approach to handling the issue of the proper agency to hold custody of the nuclear weapons stockpile, and encouraged and supported Edward Teller's development of thermonuclear weapons.

James McCormack transferred to the United States Air Force on 25 July 1950, and was appointed Director of Nuclear Applications at the Air Research and Development Center in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1952.

James McCormack was promoted to major general, and became Deputy Commander of the Air Research and Development Command.

James McCormack was Chairman of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and from 1965 to 1970 was chairman of the Communications Satellite Corporation.

James McCormack attended the Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia, before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point on 2 July 1928.

James McCormack was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Corps of Engineers on graduation on 14 August 1932, ranking 19th in his class.

James McCormack departed for England where he studied at Hertford College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar.

James McCormack was promoted to first lieutenant in August 1935, and awarded his Bachelor of Arts degree in Romance languages from Oxford.

James McCormack's thesis was a joint project with three other student officers from the Army Corps of Engineers under the supervision of Kenneth C Reynolds.

James McCormack then became a student officer at the Engineering School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

James McCormack reported to Fort Benning, Georgia, as a company commander in the 21st Engineers in October 1939.

James McCormack was promoted to captain on 9 September 1940, and after serving as adjutant of the 20th Engineers at Fort Benning, he temporarily commanded one of the regiment's battalions before assuming command of the 76th Engineer Company at Fort McClellan, Alabama, in mid-1941.

James McCormack was Assistant Chief of the Types and Allowances Branch of G-4 from March 1942 to March 1943, with a promotion to lieutenant colonel on 9 October 1942, and then Chief of the Construction Branch of G-4 from March 1943 to September 1943.

In October 1943, James McCormack became Chief of the Transportation Branch of the First United States Army Group, and was promoted to colonel on 1 December 1943.

On 4 June 1945, James McCormack returned to duty with the War Department General Staff as a member of the Policy Section of the Strategy and Policy Group, becoming the assistant section chief on 16 September 1945.

James McCormack was then a staff officer with the Strategy and Policy Group from 16 February until 16 August 1946, when he became chief of the Politico-Military Survey Section of the Operations and Plans Division.

At this point, James McCormack had become apprehensive about his career, but in early 1947 a new and exciting opportunity opened up.

James McCormack was willing to accept the post as a staff job, and took a pragmatic approach to the custody issue.

James McCormack became involved in discussions with Edward Teller over the possibility of developing thermonuclear weapons, then known as the "Super".

James McCormack became an early advocate of the Super, which promised yields in the megaton range, and directed Norris Bradbury at the Los Alamos National Laboratory to proceed with its development even at the detriment of other weapons.

James McCormack transferred to the United States Air Force on 25 July 1950.

James McCormack was promoted to major general, and became Deputy Commander of the Air Research and Development Command.

James McCormack was called to testify at the Oppenheimer security hearing.

James McCormack retired from the Air Force in 1955, and became the first head of the Institute for Defense Analysis, a non-profit research organization to provide advice and support to the Department of Defense's scientific and technological research efforts formed by ten universities.

James McCormack originated the proposal that the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics be used as the basis for a new space agency, which eventually became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

James McCormack attended his first board meeting in Washington, DC, in his dinner jacket, having flown from Los Angeles after a speaking engagement.

James McCormack retired as chairman due to ill health in 1970, although he remained a director.

James McCormack died at his winter home in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, on 3 January 1975, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

James McCormack was survived by his wife, Eleanor nee Morrow; his son, Major James R McCormack, who was stationed at Fort Rucker, Alabama; and his daughter, Anne M Stanton, who was living at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.