Frank Rowlett

Frank B. Rowlett
Emory & Henry College
Awards	President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service (1965)
Scientific career
Fields	Cryptography

Frank Byron Rowlett (May 2, 1908 – June 29, 1998) was an American

Life and career

Rowlett was born in

Rowlett also played a crucial role in protecting American communications during World War II, making fundamental and innovative contributions to the design of the SIGABA cipher machine. Its security was an important factor in saving American lives in combat. In 1964, Congress awarded Rowlett US$100,000, equivalent to $980,000 in 2023, as partial compensation for his classified cryptologic inventions.

In addition to having highly developed cryptanalytic skills, Rowlett was a good manager, and he rose quickly within the organization. In 1943–45 he was chief of the General Cryptanalytic Branch, and in 1945–1947 chief of the Intelligence Division. From 1949 to 1952, he was technical director in the Office of Operations of the

Rowlett has been inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame.

Because of his importance in the protection of American communications, the Information Systems Security Organization has named its highest award the Frank Byron Rowlett Award.

Frank Rowlett died June 29, 1998, at age 90.

See also

• Operation Gold
• Leo Rosen

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from Frank B. Rowlett. National Security Agency.

• Frank B. Rowlett, The Story of Magic: Memoirs of an American Cryptologic Pioneer, with Foreword and Epilogue by David Kahn, Laguna Hills, CA, Aegean Press, 1999.
• Purple
  ? (pp. 94–106).