James E. Webb
| James Webb | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
|
In office February 14, 1961 – October 7, 1968 |
|
| President |
John F. Kennedy Lyndon Johnson |
| Deputy |
Hugh Dryden Robert Seamans Thomas O. Paine |
| Preceded by | Hugh Dryden (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Thomas O. Paine |
| United States Under Secretary of State | |
|
In office January 28, 1949 – February 29, 1952 |
|
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Robert A. Lovett |
| Succeeded by | David Bruce |
| Director of the Bureau of the Budget | |
|
In office July 13, 1946 – January 27, 1949 |
|
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Harold D. Smith |
| Succeeded by | Frank Pace |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Edwin Webb October 7, 1906 Tally Ho, North Carolina, U.S. (now Stem) |
| Died | March 27, 1992 (aged 85) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education |
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BA) George Washington University (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Marine Corps
|
| Years of service | 1930–1932 1944–1945 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant Colonel |
James Edwin Webb (October 7, 1906 – March 27, 1992) was an American government official who served as the second administrator of NASA from February 14, 1961 to October 7, 1968.
Webb oversaw NASA from the beginning of the Kennedy administration through the end of the Johnson administration, thus overseeing all the critical first manned launches in the Mercury through Gemini programs, until just before the first manned Apollo flight. He also dealt with the Apollo 1 fire.
In 2002, a planned space telescope, originally called the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), was renamed the James Webb Space Telescope as a tribute to Webb.
Webb was born in the hamlet of Tally Ho in Granville County, North Carolina. His father was superintendent of the Granville County public schools. He completed his college education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received an A.B. degree in education in 1928. He was a member of the Acacia Fraternity. Webb became a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, and he served as a Marine Corps pilot on active duty in 1930–32. Webb then studied law at The George Washington University Law School where he received a J.D. degree in 1936. In the same year he was admitted to the Bar of the District of Columbia.
Webb began his long career in public service in Washington, D.C. by serving as secretary to US Rep. Edward W. Pou of North Carolina in 1932–34. Pou was chairman of the Rules Committee and Dean of the House. With Webb's assistance, Pou was influential in pushing through the first legislation of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal during the first hundred days of Roosevelt's term. In addition to his secretarial duties, Webb provided physical assistance to the aging and ailing Pou.
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