Jack London (businessman)

This biographical article is written encyclopedic . (January 2021)

J. Phillip "Jack" London (April 30, 1937 – January 18, 2021)^[1] was an American businessman.

He joined CACI International Inc as a consultant in 1972 and rose through the ranks to become CEO in 1984. London helped the professional services firm become a $5.7 billion dollar world government contracting company providing advanced technology services and solutions for national security missions, electronic warfare and cyber security, with 20,000 employees in 155 locations worldwide.^[2][3]

A 1959 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, London served on active duty as an naval aviator for 12 years during the

London was born to Harry R. and Evalyn P. London. London’s mother said his family came from "pioneers and dirt farmers", including a great-grandfather who participated in the Land Rush of 1889. His maternal family came from Illinois and Missouri and his father’s family came west from Tennessee and Maryland. A student of history and genealogy, London traced his family lineage back to Samuel Nicholson, a Continental Navy officer during the American Revolution and commanding officer of the USS Constitution, for whom he created the Captain Samuel Nicholson Naval and Marine Corps History and Leadership Award to honor a graduating Naval Academy midshipman in 2014.^[4]

London was an honor roll student and student body president of

Serving as a naval aviator and carrier pilot, London made 33 deployments in the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean with an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) "hunter-killer" unit during the Cold War, including as part of the airborne recovery team for John Glenn's Mercury space flight on Friendship 7, and during the Cuban Missile Crisis aboard the USS Randolph (CV-15) in 1962.^[4]

Back on shore duty, London pursued an

London learned computer technology with the Navy and applied his knowledge of naval operations to earn an role at the

London is remembered for always signing his letters with "Always my best-Jack." It was both a promise and an expectation as illustrated by his pioneering effort to create an ethics/compliance program ten years before government contractors were required to do so. CACI received a “Best Overall Government Contractor Ethics Program” in the 2008 Government Contractor Ethics Program Ratings released by the Ethisphere Institute and London was recognized as one of the Most Influential People in Business Ethics by them in 2014.^[3]

In an attempt to address accusations that CACI held some responsibility in regard to torture and abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison during the Iraq War, London authored the book Our Good Name, A Company's Fight to Get the Truth Told About Abu Ghraib.^[6][7] He was also the lead author of Character: The Ultimate Success Factor.^[8]

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