James R. Ambrose was born in
Brewer, Maine. He was educated at the
University of Maine, graduating in 1943. He also studied at
Georgetown University,
The Catholic University of America, and the
University of Maryland, but did not receive degrees from any of those institutions. During
World War II, Ambrose worked at the
United States Naval Research Laboratory, and stayed on there after the war. While there, he worked on
radar,
semiconductors,
nuclear weapons, and
nuclear reactors. In late 1955, Ambrose was one of the co-founders of Systems Research Corporation. Systems Research Corporation was subsequently acquired by the
Ford Motor Company, laying the foundation for what would become
Ford Aerospace. Ambrose worked in
management at Ford Aerospace for thirty-six years. He worked mainly on technical aspects of
defense systems, space programs, and communications, command, and control systems. From 1968 to 1981, Ambrose held the title of Vice President for Technical Affairs of Ford Aerospace. On September 30, 1981,
President of the United States Ronald Reagan nominated Ambrose as
United States Under Secretary of the Army. After
Senate confirmation, Ambrose held this office from October 1981 until February 1988. He died in January 2017 at the age of 94. ==References==