James Bruce Cardwell (1922 – December 4, 2012) was a bureaucrat in the federal government of the United States.

Born in Washington, D.C. in 1922 and a graduate of the city's Western High School,[1] Cardwell began his federal service in 1942 as a clerk in the Public Housing Administration.

In 1955, Cardwell received a bachelor's degree from Columbus University.

In the same year, he joined the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, serving in various budget positions through 1973 when he resigned as DHEW's Assistant Secretary and Comptroller to become the 6th Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, a post he held until the end of 1977.

[2] He then spent a short time as an executive for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting before taking a position with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, and he concluded his career with five years' service at the Nasco health insurance firm.