John A. Samford
John Alexander Samford (* 1905 in Hagerman , New Mexico ; † December 1, 1968 ) was a Lieutenant General in the US Air Force and from 1956 to 1960 director of the US National Security Agency (NSA).
Life
After he successfully graduated from high school in 1922, he spent a year at Columbia College of Columbia University . In 1924 he was given the opportunity by a senator to attend the US Military Academy at West Point , from which he graduated in 1928 as 131st in a class with 260 students.
Second Lieutenant Samford's first post was that of a student officer in Brooks Field , Texas . In 1929 he received his pilot's badge ( Pilot Wings ) in Kelly Field . His first assignment to Kelly Field took him to Galveston , Texas. In 1930 he returned to Kelly Field where he served as a flight instructor. Four years later - in 1934 - he was assigned to an engineering and armaments school in Chanute Field , Illinois ; from 1935 to 1942 he had various assignments in Panama , Virginia , Louisiana and Florida . For his participation in the 1939 earthquake relief mission to Chile with the Boeing XB-15 , he received a portion of the Mackay Trophy .
As a Colonel , he was Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the US Air Force's Third Headquarters in Tampa , Florida, and then was appointed Chief of Staff of the VIII Air Force Composite Command in Northern Ireland . Appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the Eighth Air Force in 1943, he later became Chief of Staff of the 8th Bomber Command.
In 1944 Samfort was proposed as Brigadier General and appointed Chief of Staff of the Eighth Air Force. In October of the same year, he became Deputy Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the US Army Air Forces Headquarters . In January 1947, he became the commandant of the 24th Composite Wing , which was soon converted into the Caribbean Air Command's Antilles Air Division . Samford was named Commandant of the Air Command and Staff School in 1949, promoted to Major General in 1950 , and also served as Commandant of Air War College before becoming Director of Intelligence for the U.S. Air Force .
On November 24, 1956, Major General Samford received the post of Director of the NSA and, promoted to Lieutenant General , held the post until his resignation on November 23, 1960.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Samford, John A. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Samford, John Alexander |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American military, director of the National Security Agency (1956–1960) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1905 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hagerman , New Mexico |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1st December 1968 |