James R. Ambrose

 

 

 

 

Mr. James Ambrose was born August 16, 1922, in Brewer, Maine.

 

He graduated from the University of Maine (1943) and attended Georgetown, Catholic University, and the University of Maryland

Mr. Ambrose was employed during World War II and until 1955 at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), where he was involved in the early development of ship and airborne radar systems, semiconductors, nuclear weapons and reactors. In 1955 he joined the Lockheed Corp., missile systems division, where he studied and proposed efforts on satellites and ballistic missile projects. In late 1955 he became one of the principals in a new systems engineering firm, Systems Research Corp., which was subsequently acquired by Ford Motor Co. This acquisition was later merged with Philco Corp., and subsequently was operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford, called Ford Aerospace and Communications Corp. Mr. Ambrose spent over 36 years in these organizations in technical management assignments primarily related to defense equipment and systems, space programs, and major communications, command, and control systems. For the last 13 years of his industrial career prior to retirement, he was vice president for technical affairs for Ford Aerospace and Communications Corp.

President Ronald Regan appointed Mr. Ambrose to be Undersecretary of the Army in 1981. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ambrose had four sons.