James C. Card
James C. Card (born August 8, 1942) is a retired vice admiral of the U.S. Coast Guard who served as Vice Commandant from 1998 to 2000. He was born in Hillside, Illinois, and graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1964.
Card earned two master’s degrees from MIT in naval architecture and mechanical engineering (1970) and later graduated from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (1986).
During his career, he led multiple major commands, including the Coast Guard Pacific Area, the Eleventh Coast Guard District, the U.S. Maritime Defense Zone Pacific, and the Eighth Coast Guard District. He also served as Regional Emergency Transportation Coordinator, Chief of Staff for the Thirteenth Coast Guard District, and Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety and Environmental Protection at Coast Guard Headquarters.
His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, three Legion of Merit awards, four Meritorious Service Medals, and the Coast Guard Commendation Medal. In 1997, he received the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers’ Vice Admiral Jerry Land Medal, and he was honored with the Rear Admiral Shepheard Award from the Chamber of Shipping of America for merchant marine safety achievements.
Card represented the United States at the International Maritime Organization in London and led delegations to the IMO’s Maritime Safety and Marine Environmental Protection Committee. He is married to Jean Howell and has two sons.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 02:14 (CET).