Charles Thomas (Secretary of the Navy)

Charles Sparks Thomas[1] (September 28, 1897 – October 17, 1983)[2] was a U.S. administrator. He served as Secretary of the Navy between May 3, 1954 and April 1, 1957.

Charles Thomas
5th United States Secretary of the Navy
In office May 3, 1954 – April 1, 1957
President	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	Robert B. Anderson
Succeeded by	Thomas S. Gates Jr.
Personal details
Born	Charles Sparks Thomas (1897-09-28)September 28, 1897 Independence, Missouri, U.S.
Died	October 17, 1983(1983-10-17) (aged 86) Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	University of California, Berkeley Cornell University

Thomas was born in Independence, Missouri,[3] 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.

During the 1930s, Thomas worked for Foreman and Clark. Thomas became president of Trans World Airlines on 2 July 1958, and served until 28 July 1960.[4] 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.