In classic Western movies, the good guy could be frequently identified by his trademark white Stetson hat, whereas the bad guy always wore black. James J. Gallagher wore many hats during his career that spanned over six decades; he too would be known as the "man in the white hat,"--trusted to do the right thing. From 1967 to 1970, chiefly during the Nixon Administration, Gallagher wore the hat of public servant in Washington, D.C. He served as the first chief of the Bureau for the Education of the Handicapped (BEH) and then as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Research, and Evaluation--Both the positions were within the United States Office of Education (USOE) and under the larger umbrella of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. This article outlines his federal contributions and their enduring impact on the fields of both special education and gifted education.