William Thomas Pecora
William Thomas Pecora | |
|---|---|
| 8th Director of the U.S. Geological Survey | |
| In office 1965 – 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Brennan Nolan |
| Succeeded by | Vincent Ellis McKelvey |
| Under Secretary of the Interior | |
| In office 1971 – 1972 | |
| Preceded by | Fred J. Russell |
| Succeeded by | John C. Whitaker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 1, 1913 |
| Died | July 19, 1972 (aged 59) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Scientific career | |
| Alma mater |
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| Fields | |
| Institutions | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Thesis | Petrology and Mineralogy of the Western Bearpaw Mountains, Montana (1940) |
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William Thomas Pecora II (February 1, 1913 – July 19, 1972) was an American geologist who served as the eighth director of the U.S. Geological Survey and later as Under Secretary of the Interior. Pecora had a successful career in both scientific and athletic spheres—he completed in fencing at the 1936 Summer Olympics, and during his lifetime was elected to both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. He was an early figure in what is now the Landsat program, and the William T. Pecora Award for remote sensing is named after him.