Dudley Crawford Sharp was Secretary of the Air Force from December 11, 1959 until January 20, 1961, under president Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...

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Biography

Born in Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

, Dudley C. Sharp was the son of Walter Benona Sharp

Walter Benona Sharp

Walter Benona Sharp was an American oil drilling pioneer, innovator and philanthropist.Born in Tipton County, Tennessee, Sharp's mother died when he was eight and his father moved the family to Texas. By the age of twenty Sharp was operating a water well drilling company with his brother...

. He graduated from Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

 in 1928 and joined the Mission Manufacturing Company of Houston, holding many positions within the firm. He served in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 from 1942 to 1945.

In 1955, he was appointed as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Materiel

Materiel

Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....

. Mr. Sharp was appointed Under Secretary of the Air Force in August 1959 and on December 11, 1959, he became Secretary of the Air Force

United States Secretary of the Air Force

The Secretary of the Air Force is the Head of the Department of the Air Force, a component organization within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Secretary of the Air Force is appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate...

 and served until 1961.

Sharp was also best friends with Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes

Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...

 for a time in his early life. Dudley met Howard because both Howard and Dudley's fathers were business partners in the Sharp-Hughes Tool Company

Hughes Tool Company

Hughes Tool Company was established in 1908 as Sharp-Hughes Tool Company when Howard R. Hughes, Sr. patented a roller cutter bit that dramatically improved the rotary drilling process for oil drilling rigs. He partnered with longtime business associate Walter Benona Sharp to manufacture and market...

in Houston. Sharp was married to Tina Cleveland, daughter of Justina Latham and W. C. Cleveland of Houston.

Sharp died on May 17, 1987. He was 82 years old and lived in Houston, Texas.