Role Secretary of the Navy | Name Charles Thomas | |
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Full Name Charles Sparks Thomas Born September 28, 1897Independence, Missouri ( 1897-09-28 ) Alma mater University of CaliforniaCornell University Occupation government administrator Similar People Francis P Matthews, J William Middendorf, Charles Francis Adams III, Fred Korth, Paul Robert Ignatius | ||
Succeeded by Thomas S. Gates, Jr. | ||
Charles Sparks Thomas (September 28, 1897 – October 17, 1983) was a U.S. administrator. He served as Secretary of the Navy between May 3, 1954 and April 1, 1957.
Thomas was born in Independence, Missouri, 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.
In the private sector, Thomas worked as head of Trans World Airlines from 1956 through 1960. 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.