Jacques Singleton "Jack" Gansler (November 21, 1934 – December 4, 2018) was an aerospace electronics engineer, defense contracting executive and public policy expert. He served as

Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, or USD(A&S), is the Principal Staff Assistant (PSA) and advisor to the Secretary of Defense for all matters relating to acquisition and sustainment in the Department of Defense. Th ...

from November 1997 to January 2001.

Early life and education

Gansler was born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

in 1934, the son of Doris (Eisner) and Fred H. Gansler. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1956 and an M.S. degree in electrical engineering from

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU) is a private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in Charlotte, North C ...

in 1959. Gansler later received an M.A. degree in political economy from

The New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in New York City, United States. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers. NSSR ...

in 1972 and a Ph.D. degree in economics from American University in 1978. His doctoral thesis was entitled ''The diminishing economic and strategic viability of the U.S. defense industrial base''.

Career

Gansler's first job was as an aerospace electronics engineer for the

Raytheon Corporation The Raytheon Company was a major U.S. defense contractor and industrial corporation with manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft unti ...

until 1962. He then served in management positions for the

Singer Corporation Singer Corporation is an American manufacturer of consumer sewing machines, first established as I. M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Singer, Isaac M. Singer with New York lawyer Edward Cabot Clark, Edward C. Clark. Best known for its sewing mac ...

until 1970 and as vice president for business development at the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation from 1970 to 1972. From 1972 to 1975, Gansler served as Assistant Director of Defense Research and Engineering for Electronics at the Pentagon. From 1975 to 1977, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Materiel Acquisition. In August 1977, Gansler joined The Analytical Sciences Corporation, eventually becoming an executive vice president. In September 1997, President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (Birth name, né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 ...

nominated Gansler to be Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. In 2001, Gansler became a professor of public policy at the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...

. During his tenure at the university, he also served as interim dean of the

School of Public Policy A public policy school is typically a university program that teaches students policy analysis, policy studies, public policy, political economy, urban planning, public administration, international relations, security studies, political science, ...

from 2003 to 2004 and as the university's vice president for research from 2004 to 2006. Gansler also founded and served as director of the Center for Public Policy and Private Enterprise at the School of Public Policy. In September 2007, Gansler was appointed chairman of a special commission to investigate the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

's acquisition and contracting processes. Gansler retired from the University of Maryland in 2016.

Awards

Gansler was elected to the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...

in 2002. He was also a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Personal

Gansler married Leah M. Calabro. They had two daughters, a son and five grandchildren. Their son

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...

is a former

Attorney General of Maryland The Attorney General of the State of Maryland is the chief legal officer of the State of Maryland in the United States and is elected by the people every four years with no term limits. To run for the office a person must be a citizen of and qua ...

. Diagnosed with melanoma, Gansler died at his home in

McLean, Virginia McLean ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. McLean is home to many diplomats, military, members of Congress, and high-ranking government officials partially due to its proxi ...

in 2018.

Publications

* ''Democracy's Arsenal: Creating a Twenty-First-Century Defense Industry'', The MIT Press, June 2011, 448 pp., . * ''Defense Conversion'', The MIT Press, May 1995, 293 pp., . * ''Affording Defense'', The MIT Press, March 1989, 417 pp., * ''The Defense Industry'', The MIT Press, September 1980, 346 pp., .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gansler, Jacques Singleton 1934 births 2018 deaths People from Newark, New Jersey Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science alumni Northeastern University alumni American electrical engineers The New School alumni Nixon administration personnel Ford administration personnel American University alumni American economists American male non-fiction writers Clinton administration personnel United States Under Secretaries of Defense University of Maryland, College Park faculty Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering George W. Bush administration personnel Fellows of the United States National Academy of Public Administration People from McLean, Virginia Deaths from melanoma