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, Cardwell began his federal service in 1942 as a clerk in the Public Housing Administration. After serving with the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II, he returned to the Public Housing Administration in 1945, where he worked on administrative and budget assignments until 1954. 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 Commissioner of the Social Security Administr