James Otto Richardson (18 September 1878 – 2 May 1974) was an admiral in the United States Navy who served from 1902 to 1942. As Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet, he protested against the redeployment of the fleet forward to Pearl Harbor, believing that a forward defense was neither practical or useful, and that the Pacific Fleet would be the logical first target in the event of war with Japan. He was subsequently relieved of command in February 1941. His concerns were to be proved justified in December.