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 (NRO). He previously served as the Lockheed Corporation program manager and overall systems engineer for the CORONA and LANYARD imaging systems, focusing on development of the second generation of U.S. satellites. At the beginning of the top-secret CORONA program, Plummer was directed to establish and oversee an off-site facility to build and launch, within a period of nine months, a satellite borne camera and physical recovery system. The successful project created the field of satellite surveillance, providing vital photographic information that permitted the United States to gauge the nuclear threat posed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War and pursue more effective foreign policies. His team accomplished the first successful recovery of a man-made object from earth orbit.

Plummer's work on the military applications of near-earth satellites and his role as a consultant to the Secretary of Defense in 1972 and 1973 led to his appointment by President Richard M. Nixon to serve as the Under Secretary of the Air Force. He served in this capacity from December 1973 to mid-1976. For a brief period, from 23 November 1975 to 2 January 1976, he was the Acting Secretary of the Air Force. Following his tour as Under Secretary of the Air Force, he returned to Lockheed Missile & Space Company as its Executive Vice President and General Manager, and at the same time served as a Vice President of its parent company, Lockheed Corporation.

Plummer was an avid skier and explorer. He participated in numerous scientific and military expeditions, including time in the Far and Middle East, Antarctica, and Greenland. He resided in various Oregon towns until his death in Medford in 2013 at age 92.