Charles Thomas (Secretary of the Navy)

This article is about the Secretary of the Navy. For other uses, see Charles Thomas (disambiguation).
Charles Thomas
53rd 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

September 28, 1897
Independence, Missouri, U.S.
Died October 17, 1983 (aged 86)
Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Political party Republican
Education University of California, Berkeley
Cornell University

Charles Sparks Thomas (September 28, 1897 – October 17, 1983) was an American politician who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1954 to 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.

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. 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.