James P. Hanrahan

James P. Hanrahan, a retired senior officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, died peacefully on July 28th, 2017 at his son John's home in Park City, Utah. He was 93 years old. Mr. Hanrahan was born in Watervilet, New  York, and was a graduate of LaSalle Institute, Troy, N.Y. and Niagara University. During World War II, he served as a gunnery officer aboard a landing craft support large (LSCL) in the Southwest Pacific.  At the time of his retirement in 1980, he was Director of the Center for the Study of Intelligence. Mr. Hanrahan came to the Washington area in 1946 to pursue graduate studies at Georgetown University. After receiving a master's degree in political theory in 1948, he joined the Central Intelligence Agency as an analyst of internal Soviet political and security affairs. He spent most of his career in the Directorate of Intelligence in a variety of line and staff positions, primarily with the office of Current Intelligence. Among other assignments, he was one of three writers of the President's Intelligence Checklist, later known as the President's Daily Brief and the Chief of the Soviet and East European Division as well as the western European Division.  He was also the first Director of the Strategic Warning Staff in the Pentagon in 1975 that replaced the Watch Committee of the Intelligence Interagency Committee. Earlier he conducted the first Agency wide all source research effort on the Soviet political leadership in the wake of Stalin's death.

Mr. Hanrahan was a recipient of the Agency's Intelligence Medal of Merit and was a lifetime member of several retirement groups. These included the Senior Seminar Alumni of the Department of State, the Central Intelligence Retiree's Association, and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. After his retirement, he continued to serve as a full-time contractor with the agency until April, 2004. 

In earlier times, he was active in the Potomac Boys Club, serving as a basketball coach and baseball commissioner. He was also a PTA President. Mr. Hanrahan's wife of 49 years, Mary Collins Hanrahan, died in 1999. He and his wife were founding members of St. Raphael's Church in Rockville, MD. He is survived by five sons, Peter R. of Richmond, CA, Paul J. of Basalt CO, Mark P. of Hollywood, FL, Matthew P. of Boise, ID, and Dr. John J. of Park City, UT. He is also survived by ten grandchildren.