George Cunliffe McVittieFRSE FRAS OBE (1904–1988) was a British mathematician andcosmologist.[1] He is best known for his contributions towardsradio astronomy.[2]
McVittie was born on 5 June 1904 inSmyrna in Turkey, where his father, Frank S. McVittie, was a merchant. His mother, Emily Caroline Weber, lived in Greece but was of British descent.[3] George was raised bilingual in French and English.
From 1923 he studied mathematics and physics at theUniversity of Edinburgh receiving his degree (MA) in 1928. He then went toChrist's College, Cambridge where he studied for his doctorate (PhD) under ProfArthur Eddington.[4][5] From 1930 to 1934 he was Assistant Lecturer at theUniversity of Leeds, 1933-34 Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and 1936-1958 Reader at King's College,University of London. In 1933 he became a fellow of theRoyal Astronomical Society, being elected in 1933.[6][7] During World War II he established and directed the meteorological section at Bletchley Park, which monitored weather conditions in enemy territory by deciphering coded weather forecasts.
In 1943 he was elected a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were David Gibb,Ivor Etherington,Robert Schlapp andAlexander Aitken.[8] From 1948 he was a professor at Queen Mary's College, University of London.
He then worked in America from 1952 to 1972 as professor at theUniversity of Illinois Observatory of theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he built a small astronomy department, one of the leading in the country. He was awardedGuggenheim Fellowships in 1962 and 1970.[9] His administrative skills meant that he became secretary of theAmerican Astronomical Society.[10]
From 1972 to 1988 he held an honorary professorship at theUniversity of Kent in Canterbury, where in 1985 he received an honorary doctorate.
He died inCanterbury on 8 March 1988.[11]
Asteroid 2417,McVittie was named after him. The George C. McVittie Elementary School inDrayton Plains, Michigan was also named in his honor.
In 1934, McVittie married Mildred Bond Strong (1906–1985) daughter ofJohn StrongFRSE (1868-1945).
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