Rear Admiral James C. Tison Jr. (July 23, 1908 – May 3, 1991) was an officer in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps and Environmental Science Services Administration Corps (ESSA Corps), both predecessors of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps). He served simultaneously as the first Director of the ESSA Corps, one of only two people to hold the position, and as the sixth Director of the

United States Coast and Geodetic Survey The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (abbreviated USC&GS), known from 1807 to 1836 as the Survey of the Coast and from 1836 until 1878 as the United States Coast Survey, was the first scientific agency of the United States Government. It ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Tison was transferred to the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

for wartime duty. He remained in the Army Air Forces postwar and also served in their successor, the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

, before returning to the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps.

Early life

James Chisolm Tison Jr., was born in

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

history.noaa.gov Profiles in Time: C&GS Biographies: Rear Admiral James C. Tison Jr.
/ref>Anonymous, "Deaths," ''The Washington Post'', May 6, 1991.
/ref> on July 23, 1908.Find-A-Grave Adm. James Chisolm Tison Jr.
/ref> He attended The Citadel, from which he graduated with a degree in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

Career

Early career

In 1929, Tison began his career in the

, accepting a commission as an officer in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps. For the next several years, he served as a junior deck officer aboard

survey ship A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the purpo ...

s of the Coast and Geodetic Survey fleet, seeing service in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

, and

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...

, as well as ashore in Coast and Geodetic Survey field parties along the

United States East Coast The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

. For a few months in 1931, he was the assistant to the inspector of construction for the completion of the medium survey ship USC&GS ''Hydrographer'' (MSS 19) by Spear Engine Works in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

World War II

The

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

entered

with the

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, ju ...

on December 7, 1941, and in March 1942 Tison was transferred by executive order to the

for wartime service. Assigned to duty in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, he spent the next year in charge of

photogrammetric Photogrammetry is the science and technology of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images and patterns of electromagnetic radiant ima ...

and geodetic control operations for

aeronautical chart An aeronautical chart is a map designed to assist in the navigation of aircraft, much as nautical chart A nautical chart is a graphic representation of a sea area and adjacent coastal regions. Depending on the scale of the chart, it may show ...

ing. He also saw service in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Later career

After the war ended in August 1945, Tison remained with the Army Air Forces, and he remained on duty with the

after it became an independent service in September 1947. He left Air Force service in 1949 with the Air Force rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. In 1950, Tison returned to duty as a Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps officer. He served as the Coast and Geodetic Survey liaison officer to the U.S. Air Force at

Patrick Air Force Base Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name *Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick or ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, as geodetic officer at the

Air Force Missile Test Center The Space Launch Delta 45 (SLD 45) is a unit of the United States Space Force. The Space Launch Delta 45 is assigned to Space Systems Command and headquartered at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida. The wing also controls Cape Canaveral Space Fo ...

Cape Canaveral , image = cape canaveral.jpg , image_size = 300 , caption = View of Cape Canaveral from space in 1991 , map = Florida#USA , map_width = 300 , type =Cape , map_caption = Location in Florida , location ...

, Florida, on

triangulation In trigonometry and geometry, triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by forming triangles to the point from known points. Applications In surveying Specifically in surveying, triangulation involves only angle me ...

duty in the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

, and on sea duty off

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

with the Coast and Geodetic Survey fleet. In 1959, Tison graduated from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He then spent nearly two years as Assistant Director for Administration of the Coast and Geodetic Survey. In 1961, having achieved the rank of

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

, he became the Deputy Director of the Coast and Geodetic Survey.

Director

On July 13, 1965, a new United States Government scientific organization, the

Environmental Science Services Administration The Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) was a United States Federal executive agency created in 1965 as part of a reorganization of the United States Department of Commerce. Its mission was to unify and oversee the meteorologica ...

(ESSA) was created. Under the reorganization that created ESSA, both the Coast and Geodetic Survey and the

United States Weather Bureau The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the p ...

, although retaining their independent identities, came under the control of ESSA, and the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps was removed from the Coast and Geodetic Survey and subordinated directly to ESSA, becoming the

Environmental Science Services Administration Corps A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

(ESSA Corps). On the same day, the Director of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, Rear Admiral

H. Arnold Karo Henry Arnold Karo (December 24, 1903 – May 23, 1986) was a Vice admiral (United States), vice admiral in the former United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps, which is today known as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commi ...

, was promoted to vice admiral and became deputy administrator of the new ESSA. Simultaneously, Rear Admiral Tison became Acting Director of the Coast and Geodetic Survey and Acting Director of the new ESSA Corps. On September 1, 1965, Tison became the permanent Director of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, the sixth person to hold that position, and the first Director of the ESSA Corps, one of only two people ever to hold that position. Tison served in both positions until September 1, 1968, when he retired from the Coast and Geodetic Survey and the ESSA Corps.

Awards

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

Tison received the Legion of Merit for his Army Air Forces service during World War II.NOAA History: James C. Tison: Citation for the Legion of Merit
/ref> The citation for his award read:

While serving with the Office of the Assistant Chief of Air Staff-3, Headquarters, Army Air Forces, from March 1944 to October 1945, Colonel Tison prepared and supervised the execution of a successful plan to utilize the limited map making resources of the Army, Navy and Civil Branches. Colonel Tison's high degree of professional competence and exemplary devotion to duty reflect great credit upon himself and Army Air Forces.

Personal life

Tison was married to the former Nan Keith Sinkler.Find-A-Grave: Nan Keith Sinkler Tison
/ref> They had two sons, John Huger Tison and James Sinkler Tison. In retirement, Tison initially lived in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

, Virginia. He later moved to

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

, South Carolina.

Death

Tison died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on May 3, 1991, at a hospital in Charleston. He was buried at Black Swamp Methodist Church Cemetery in Garnett in Hampton County, South Carolina.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tison Jr., James C. 1908 births 1991 deaths Military personnel from Charleston, South Carolina American civil engineers The Citadel alumni Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy alumni United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps admirals Environmental Science Services Administration Corps admirals United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Recipients of the Legion of Merit Burials in South Carolina 20th-century American engineers