David Williamson Jr.

David Williamson Jr. (1929 – October 8, 1992) was an American aerospace administrator and Korean War veteran. He was among the first employees of NASA, where he was one of its most decorated civilian employees.

Early life and education Williamson was born in Istanbul, where is father was an American diplomat. He also spent a portion of his childhood growing up in Switzerland and England, due to his father's foreign service. He also grew up in Maryland, He then attended Princeton University, where he was on the varsity fencing team. Before he could graduate, he enlisted in the United States Army. He rose to a lieutenant of artillery in the Korean War. When his service completed in 1955, he returned to Princeton, New Jersey, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in History. He graduated cum laude in 1956. where he was a policy advisor focused on national security matters.

Between 1967 and 1972, Williamson was responsible for coordinating Apollo photographic experiment plans with the United States Intelligence Community and managing the process that would govern review and release of the resulting imagery. The unmanned orbital photography of Earth for civilian interests conflicted with the National Reconnaissance Office directives, which Williamson would sometimes manage by avoiding photographing certain geographic areas. and a William A. Jump Memorial Award,

Publications

Personal life and family Williamson met his wife Ruth while he was stationed in El Paso, Texas. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1980. He died from a fall in October 1992.