| James W. Plummer | |
| Birth Date: | 29 January 1920 |
| Birth Place: | Idaho Springs, Colorado, United States |
| Death Place: | Medford, Oregon, United States |
| Order: | 5th |
| Director of the National Reconnaissance Office | |
| Term Start: | December 21, 1973[1] |
| Term End: | June 28, 1976 |
| Predecessor: | John L. McLucas |
| Successor: | Thomas C. Reed |
| President: | Richard M. Nixon Gerald R. Ford |
| Alma Mater: | University of California, Berkeley University of Maryland |
| Profession: | Engineering |
| Blank1: | Awards |
| Data1: | Charles Stark Draper Prize |
James W. Plummer (January 29, 1920 - January 16, 2013) was an engineer who served as the fifth Director of the National Reconnaissance Office. Plummer was the first Director NRO to come from the private industry. He previously served as the Lockheed Corporation program manager for the CORONA and LANYARD imaging systems. Plummer focused on developing the second generation of U.S. satellites – the electro-optical systems.[2] He earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland in 1953.[3] In 2005 he received the Charles Stark Draper Prize for his contributions to the CORONA project.[4] He died at Medford, Oregon in 2013. He was 92.[5]