James Montgomery Beggs (January 9, 1926 – April 23, 2020) was an American businessman and consultant who served as the 6th Administrator of NASA from 1981 to 1986.

[1] Beggs was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as NASA Administrator on June 1, 1981, and took office on July 10.

[1] He served until December 4, 1985, when he took an indefinite leave of absence due to an indictment for contract fraud related to activities alleged by the United States Department of Defense to have taken place prior to his tenure at NASA.

[1] This indictment was later dismissed, and the United States Attorney General apologized to Beggs for any embarrassment.

[3] He denied knowledge of the problems related to the disaster, stating that he "had no specific concerns with the joint, the O-rings or the putty".