James McCormack
| James McCormack | |
|---|---|
Brigadier General James McCormack, Jr, (right) is congratulated by Major General Lauris Norstad (left) after being presented with the oak leaf cluster to his Legion of Merit
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| Born |
8 November 1910 Chatham, Louisiana |
| Died | 3 January 1975 (aged 64) Hilton Head Island, South Carolina |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
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| Service/branch |
 United States Army United States Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1932–1955 |
| Rank |
 Major General
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| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Commander of the Order of the British Empire (United Kingdom) Chevalier of the Legion of Honor (France) Croix de guerre 1939–1945 with silver star (France) |
| Other work | Director of Military Applications, Atomic Energy Commission Vice President for research at MIT Chairman of the Communications Satellite Corporation |
James McCormack, Jr. (8 November 1910 – 3 January 1975) was a United States Army officer who served in World War II, and was later the first Director of Military Applications of the United States Atomic Energy Commission.
A 1932 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, McCormack also studied at Hertford College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned a Master of Science degree in civil engineering. In 1942, he was assigned to the War Department General Staff. On 1 July 1944, he became the Chief of the Movements Branch of Twelfth United States Army Group, remaining in this role until 28 May 1945. He then returned to the War Department General Staff, where he served in the Operations and Plans Division.
In 1947 McCormack was chosen as the Director of Military Applications of the United States Atomic Energy Commission with the rank of brigadier general. He 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. He 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. He was subsequently promoted to major general, and became Deputy Commander of the Air Research and Development Command.
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