Arthur Ernest "Ernie" Fitzgerald (July 31, 1926 – January 31, 2019) was an American engineer. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He was a member of the Senior Executive Service in the United States Air Force. He was well known as a U.S. government whistleblower. In 1968, Fitzgerald reported a $2.3 billion cost overrun in the Lockheed C-5 aircraft program. As a result, he was fired by Secretary Melvin Laird under the orders of President Richard Nixon.