Charles Thomas (Secretary of the Navy)
American politician (1897–1983)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Sparks Thomas[1] (September 28, 1897 – October 17, 1983)[2] was an American politician who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1954 to 1957.
Charles Thomas | |
|---|---|
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| 53rd United States Secretary of the Navy | |
| In office May 3, 1954 – April 1, 1957 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Robert B. Anderson |
| Succeeded by | Thomas S. Gates Jr. |
| Assistant Secretary of Defense | |
| In office 1953–1954 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Undersecretary of the Navy | |
| In office 1953 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Sparks Thomas September 28, 1897 Independence, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | October 17, 1983 (aged 86) |
| Party | Republican |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley Cornell University |
Thomas was born in Independence, Missouri,[3] and he attended the University of California and Cornell University. During World War I, he served as a naval aviator. He joined the Eisenhower Administration in 1953 as Undersecretary of the Navy; later that year, he designated an Assistant Secretary of Defense.
During the 1930s, Thomas worked for Foreman and Clark. Thomas became president of Trans World Airlines on 2 July 1958, and served until 28 July 1960.[4] He subsequently was the president of the Irvine Company, which developed sprawling Southern California suburbs, through 1966. Thomas was director of several large corporations, including Lockheed.
