Donald A. Quarles

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Donald A. Quarles
4th Secretary of the Air Force
In office August 15, 1955 – April 30, 1957
President	Dwight Eisenhower
Preceded by	Harold E. Talbott
Succeeded by	James H. Douglas, Jr.
Born	July 30, 1894(1894-07-30) Van Buren, Arkansas, USA
Died	May 8, 1959 (aged 64) Washington, D.C., USA
Political party	Republican

Donald Aubrey Quarles (born Van Buren, Arkansas, 30 July 1894; died 8 May 1959) was a communications engineer, senior level executive with Bell Telephone Laboratories and Western Electric, and a top official in the United States Department of Defense during the Eisenhower Administration. He served as both Secretary of the Air Force and Deputy Secretary of Defense.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Laboratory engineer 3 Public service 4 Funeral and legacy 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Early life

Quarles graduated from Van Buren High School in 1910 at age of 15. He taught mathematics in Van Buren High School, and attended summer school at University of Missouri until he was accepted into Yale University in 1912. He gradated from Yale with a bachelor of arts degree in 1916.^[1][2]

In May 1917, Quarles enlisted in the United States Army for service during World War I. He was a member of the 42nd Infantry Division (better know as the "Rainbow Division") serving in France and Germany for two years. As an artillery officer, Quarles attained the rank captain before being discharged in August 1917.^[1][2]

[edit] Laboratory engineer

After the war, Quarles went to work at Western Electric Company. During this time, he also studied theoretical physics at Columbia University on a part-time basis. In 1925, he was part of the initial cadre of engineers who stood up Bell Telephone Labs, a spin off of Western Electric engineering department. Through the 1930s and early 1940’s, Quarles continued to advance within the Bell Labs organization.^[1]

In 1940, he was selected as director of the Transmission Development Department which concentrated on military electronic systems, particularly radar development. He became director of Bell’s Apparatus Development in 1946 and vice president of Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1948. During this time, he was appointed to the new Committee on Electronics within the Department of Defense’s Joint Research and Development Board, becoming chairman of the Committee on Electronics in 1949. In March 1952, Quarles became vice president of Western Electric and president of Sandia Corporation. Sandia was a subsidiary company of Western Electric responsible for operating the Atomic Energy Commission’s Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico.^[1]

[edit] Public service

In September 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Quarles Assistant Secretary of Defense for research and development. Subsequently, he was jointly selected by both the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Commerce to be the chairman of the Air Navigation Development Board. In March 1954, President Eisenhower appointed Quarles to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.^[2]

On 11 August 1955, President Eisenhower appointed Quarles as interim Secretary of the Air Force, and he was sworn into office 15 August 1955. The United States Senate confirmed his appointment on 16 February 1956. As Secretary, Quarles stressed the need to use cutting edge technology to maintain military superiority over the Soviet Union. He supported expanded funding for research and development programs, and pressed for rapid fielding of B-52 Stratofortress, F-102 Delta Dagger, and F-104 Starfighter aircraft.^[1][2]

He resigned as Secretary of the Air Force on 30 April 1957 to accept a new Presidential appointment as Deputy Secretary of Defense. He remained in that position until his sudden death from a heart attack in Washington, D.C., on 8 May 1959.^[2]

[edit] Funeral and legacy

Quarles was given a special military funeral arranged by Military District of Washington. Beginning at noon on 11 May 1959, his casket lay in the Bethlehem Chapel at the Washington National Cathedral for twenty-four hours. The funeral service was held in the nave of the cathedral the next day. Following the service, a hearse carried his casket to the Memorial Gate at Arlington National Cemetery where the casket was transferred to a caisson. A military escort, consisting of one platoon each from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard lead the funeral procession to the grave site. Vice President Richard M. Nixon led the official party at public funeral service and Arlington procession, and President Eisenhower attended the graveside rites.^[3]

Among the many honors Quarles received during his career as an engineer and public official were honorary doctorate degrees in engineering from the University of Arkansas in 1953 and New York University in 1955. He received the Cavaliere di Gran Croce from Italy and the La Cruz Peruana al Merito Aeonautico from Peru in 1956. In 1957, be received the Ordem do Merito Aeronautico from Brazil and the Major General C.C. Williams Gold Medal from the American Ordnance Association. That year, he was also awarded the United States Air Force Exceptional Service Award. He was posthumously awarded the United States Medal of Freedom in 1959.^[2][4] In 1966, a mountain range in Antarctica was named after Quarles.^[5]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• U.S. Air Force

v • d • e United States Secretaries of the Air Force Symington • Finletter • Talbott • Quarles • Douglas • Sharp • Zuckert • Brown • Seamans • McLucas • Plummer* • Reed • Stetson • Mark • Orr • Rourke • Aldridge • McGovern* • Welch* • Rice • Donley* • McPeak* • Widnall • Peters • Delaney* • Roche • Dominguez* • Geren* • Wynne * denotes acting secretary

Persondata
NAME	Quarles, Donald A.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	He served as both Secretary of the Air Force and Deputy Secretary of Defense in USA.
DATE OF BIRTH	30 July 1894
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH	8 May 1959
PLACE OF DEATH