Leland John Haworth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 2nd Director of theNational Science Foundation | |
| In office 1963–1969 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy Lyndon Johnson Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Alan T. Waterman |
| Succeeded by | William D. McElroy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1904-07-11)July 11, 1904 Flint, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | March 5, 1979(1979-03-05) (aged 74) Port Jefferson, New York, U.S. |
| Spouses | |
| Scientific career | |
| Alma mater | Indiana University(A.B.,A.M.) University of Wisconsin–Madison(PhD) |
| Fields | Particle physics |
| Institutions | University of Wisconsin–Madison Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign Brookhaven National Laboratory |
| Thesis | Energy distribution of secondary electrons from molybdenum (1931) |
| Doctoral advisor | Charles Elwood Mendenhall |
Leland John Haworth (July 11, 1904 – March 5, 1979) was an Americanparticle physicist. In his long career he was head of theBrookhaven National Laboratory, theAtomic Energy Commission, theNational Science Foundation, and was assistant to the president ofAssociated Universities, Inc.
Leland John Haworth was born on July 11, 1904, inFlint, Michigan, although his parents were normally living in New York City at the time.[1] Both of his parents, Martha (née Ackerman) and Paul Leland Haworth, were both teachers, and were Quakers. The family moved toCleveland, Ohio, in 1907 for a brief time, then toNewton County, Indiana, in 1910. Haworth graduated from theIndiana University Bloomington with aBachelor of Arts in 1925 and aMaster of Arts in 1926. He also playedcollege baseball for Indiana, and even played in the semi-pros.[1]
After obtaining a scholarship, Haworth attended theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison and earned hisDoctor of Philosophy in 1931.[2] His thesis was titled"Secondary Electrons from Very Clean Metal Surfaces when Bombarded with Primary Electrons and his advisor wasCharles Elwood Mendenhall.[1][2]
In 1927 he married Barbara Mottier, the daughter of the chairman of the Botany Department at Indiana University, and they had two children: Jane and John.[1] In 1959, Haworth learned that he hadcolon cancer, and then in February 1961, his wife died.[1]
In May 1963, Haworth married Irene Benik, a secretary at thePresident's Science Advisory Committee.[1]
He taught at theArsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis for two years while working on his father's farm before pursuing his PhD.[1] He worked as an instructor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for six years, and began working onparticle accelerators there in 1934. He then spent a year working at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology in 1937. After his father died, he then took a new position as faculty at theUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.[1]
With the onset ofWorld War II, Haworth assisted with wartime research at theMIT Radiation Laboratory, developing newradar systems. He was a member of the steering committee and helped to manage the laboratory. He also wrote large sections of theRadiation Laboratory Series, a highly regarded technical work. He joined the newly createdBrookhaven National Laboratory inUpton, New York, in 1948, immediately taking a leadership role as assistant director for special projects. He became the full director the next year, and held that position until 1961. While there, he helped with the construction of many experimental apparatus, including theCosmotron. The laboratory soon gained worldwide recognition as a premier research facility. He was also president and director of theAmerican Nuclear Society.[1]
.jpg)
A few months after his first wife died in 1961, Haworth along withGlenn T. Seaborg, was assigned by PresidentJohn F. Kennedy to become commissioner of theAtomic Energy Commission. He accepted the position and worked long hours, soon heading the research of the AEC. He supported a ban on atmospheric nuclear testing, helping to develop theLimited Test Ban Treaty in 1963. He also traveled toAlaska to assist withOperation Chariot, a plan to usenuclear bombs in the construction of a harbor as part ofOperation Plowshare, and met with variousInuit groups. The project was never carried out. Haworth wroteCivilian Nuclear Power–A Report to the President–1962, an influential public policy paper.[1]
In 1963, President Kennedy asked Haworth to direct theNational Science Foundation. He tackled issues there such asProject Mohole, bringing new colleges into NSF research, and planning for theVery Large Array. He also assisted CongressmanEmilio Q. Daddario draft an important NSF reorganization bill. Haworth was elected to theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences,[3] theAmerican Philosophical Society,[4] and theNational Academy of Sciences in 1965.[5] In 1969, Haworth's term as NSF director ended, and he moved toLong Island, New York. He became a part-time assistant to the president ofAssociated Universities, Inc., a position he held until 1975, and was special consultant to the director of Brookhaven.[1]
Haworth died on March 5, 1979, at St. Charles Hospital inPort Jefferson, New York.[1][6] He is buried in West Newton Cemetery,West Newton, Indiana.[citation needed]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Director of theNational Science Foundation July 1963 - June 1969 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
