James R. Schlesinger

James Rodney Schlesinger February 15 1929 March 27 2014 was an American economist and public servant who was best known for serving as Secretary of Defense from 1973 to 1975 under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford Prior to becoming Secretary of Defense he served as Chair of the Atomic Energy Commission AEC from 1971 to 1973 and as CIA Director for a few months in 1973 He became Americas first Secretary of Energy under Jimmy Carter in 1977 serving until 1979 While Secretary of Defense he opposed amnesty for draft resisters and pressed for development of more sophisticated nuclear weapon systems Additionally his support for the A10 and the lightweight fighter program later the F16 helped ensure that they were carried to completion