Albert Whitford | |
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| Born | Albert Edward Whitford (1905-10-22)October 22, 1905 Milton, Wisconsin,Wisconsin, United States |
| Died | March 28, 2002(2002-03-28) (aged 96) Madison, Wisconsin, USA |
| Resting place | Milton Cemetery Milton, Wisconsin |
| Alma mater | Milton College University of Wisconsin |
| Known for | Photoelectric photometry |
| Spouse | Eleanor Bell Whitelaw Whitford |
| Children | William Curtis Whitford Mary Eleanor Whitford Graves Martha Neill Whitford Barss |
| Awards | Henry Norris Russell Lectureship (1986) Bruce Medal (1996) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy Astrophysics |
| Institutions | Washburn Observatory Lick Observatory Pine Bluff Observatory |
Albert Edward Whitford (October 22, 1905 – March 28, 2002) was an Americanphysicist andastronomer.[1] He served as director of theWashburn Observatory of theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison and theLick Observatory.
Albert Whitford was born inMilton, Wisconsin, the son of Alfred and Mary Whitford.[2] He earned his B.A. fromMilton College (1926) and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin (1932).[3]
While studying physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he worked as an assistant to astronomerJoel Stebbins helping him in his study of photoelectric photometry.[4] Whitford developed a device for measuring small currents from photoelectric cells, which allowed them to measure fainter stars.[5] He decided to become an astronomer and spent two years atCaltech andMount Wilson Observatory as a postdoctoral fellow.[3]
During World War II, Whitford worked in theMITRadiation Laboratory.[6] In 1948, he succeeded Stebbins as director of the Washburn Observatory and served as director until 1958. He was director ofLick Observatory from 1958–1968,[7] and oversaw the completion of theShane Telescope in 1959.[8] He served as president of theAmerican Astronomical Society from 1967–1970,[3] and later served on the faculties of both theUniversity of California, Santa Cruz and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
TheWhitford reddening curve, quantifying the interstellarabsorption of light, was important in the mapping of the distribution of stars in theMilky Way. He also studied thestars in galactic nuclearbulges.
In 1954, Whitford was elected to theNational Academy of Sciences.[9] In 1986, Whitford received theHenry Norris Russell Lectureship[10] and in 1996 he was awarded theBruce Medal.[5]
Whitford died inMadison, Wisconsin, on March 28, 2002, and a memorial service was held in the auditorium of the Meriter Health Center in Madison.[11]
Theasteroid2301 Whitford is named in his honor.[12]
On October 23, 1937, Whitford married Eleanor Bell Whitelaw in Chicago, Illinois. They had three children (William, Mary, and Martha) and nine grandchildren.
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