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{{short description|American cryptologist}}
'''Francis Raven''' (died 1983) was an American [[cryptologist]] and an early employee of the [[National Security Agency]].
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{{more footnotes|date=July 2013}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2013}}
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'''Francis Raven''' (April 26, 1914 – December 1983<ref name=SSDI />) was an American [[cryptologist]] and an early employee of the [[National Security Agency]]. He helped to crack many codes to assist the United States during World War II. He also helped the NSA's training program by creating two cryptology courses.


==Early career==
He graduated from [[Yale University]] in 1934 and joined the [[United States Navy]] as a [[ROTC|reserve officer]], where he was assigned to the Naval Security Group. His commission was reactivated in 1940 and he rejoined the NSG, working on Japanese problems with [[Agnes Driscoll]]. After a brief period working on German ciphers he returned to Japanese issues, and starting in 1942 was part of a group that systematically solved many of the low level codes. These were important as a source of [[known-plaintext attack|crib]]s used in working the [[JN-25]] fleet code. He also worked on the [[JADE]] and [[CORAL (cipher)|CORAL]] machines, both of which were successfully cracked.
He graduated from [[Yale University]] in 1934 and joined the [[United States Navy]] as a [[ROTC|reserve officer]], where he was assigned to the Naval Security Group. His commission was reactivated in 1940 and he rejoined the NSG, working on Japanese problems with [[Agnes Driscoll]]. After a brief period working on German ciphers, he returned to Japanese issues, and he was part of a group that systematically solved many of the low level codes starting in 1942. These were important as a source of [[known-plaintext attack|crib]]s used in working the [[JN-25]] fleet code. He also worked on the [[JADE (cypher machine)|JADE]] and [[CORAL (cipher)|CORAL]] machines, both of which were successfully cracked.


==After the war years==
After the war he stayed on as a civilian employee of the NSG, then joining the [[Armed Forces Security Agency]] in 1946 and moving on to NSA at its formation in 1952. From 1956 on he held a series of executive posts within the agency, culminating in his appointment as chief of the Office of NSA's training program and played a major part in the development of two cryptology courses, an effort which won him several civilian awards.
After the war, he stayed on as a civilian employee of the NSG, joining the [[Armed Forces Security Agency]] in 1946 and moving on to NSA at its formation in 1952. From 1956 on, he held a series of executive posts within the agency, culminating in his appointment as Chief of the Office of NSA's training program where he played a major part in the development of two cryptology courses; these efforts won him several civilian awards.


==Retirement==
In retirement he established a firm for genealogical research, in which he was active until his death in 1983.
In retirement, he established a firm for genealogical research and he was active there until his death in 1983.


==References==
== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
*{{cite web|url=http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/crypto_almanac_50th/Francis_A._Raven.pdf|title=Cryptologic Almanac 50th Anniversary Series: Francis A. Raven|publisher=National Security Agency|date=24 February 1998}}
<ref name=SSDI>[http://www.mocavo.com/Francis-Raven-1914-1983-Social-Security-Death-Index/10385677464026701769 "FRANCIS RAVEN (1914-1983) - Social Security Death Index"]</ref>

{{Persondata
| NAME = Raven, Francis
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = cryptographer
| DATE OF BIRTH =
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = 1983
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
}}

{{portal|Biography}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/crypto_almanac_50th/Francis_A._Raven.pdf|title=Cryptologic Almanac 50th Anniversary Series: Francis A. Raven|publisher=National Security Agency|date=24 February 1998|access-date=31 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918015649/http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/crypto_almanac_50th/Francis_A._Raven.pdf|archive-date=18 September 2013|url-status=dead}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raven, Francis}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raven, Francis}}
[[Category:National Security Agency cryptographers]]
[[Category:National Security Agency cryptographers]]
[[Category:Yale University alumni]]
[[Category:Yale University alumni]]
[[Category:1983 deaths]]
[[Category:1983 deaths]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing]]
[[Category:1914 births]]

{{US-gov-bio-stub}}
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II
{{math-bio-stub}}

Latest revision as of 17:18, 3 April 2024

Francis Raven (April 26, 1914 – December 1983[1]) was an American cryptologist and an early employee of the National Security Agency. He helped to crack many codes to assist the United States during World War II. He also helped the NSA's training program by creating two cryptology courses.

Early career

[edit]

He graduated from Yale University in 1934 and joined the United States Navy as a reserve officer, where he was assigned to the Naval Security Group. His commission was reactivated in 1940 and he rejoined the NSG, working on Japanese problems with Agnes Driscoll. After a brief period working on German ciphers, he returned to Japanese issues, and he was part of a group that systematically solved many of the low level codes starting in 1942. These were important as a source of cribs used in working the JN-25 fleet code. He also worked on the JADE and CORAL machines, both of which were successfully cracked.

After the war years

[edit]

After the war, he stayed on as a civilian employee of the NSG, joining the Armed Forces Security Agency in 1946 and moving on to NSA at its formation in 1952. From 1956 on, he held a series of executive posts within the agency, culminating in his appointment as Chief of the Office of NSA's training program where he played a major part in the development of two cryptology courses; these efforts won him several civilian awards.

Retirement

[edit]

In retirement, he established a firm for genealogical research and he was active there until his death in 1983.

References

[edit]
  • "Cryptologic Almanac 50th Anniversary Series: Francis A. Raven" (PDF). National Security Agency. 24 February 1998. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.

Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II