William David McElroy (22 January 1917 – 17 February 1999) was an Americanbiochemist and academic administrator.
McElroy was born to William D. McElroy and Ora Shipley inRogers, Texas. After graduating fromMcAllen High School inMcAllen, Texas in 1935, he attendedPasadena Junior College in California, and went on toStanford University on a football scholarship where he received his bachelor's degree in 1937. He earned hismaster's degree in biology atReed College and hisPhD atPrinceton University in 1943.[1]
After college, McElroy became a professor atJohns Hopkins University. He initiated an independent research program in bioluminescence, recruiting students to collectfireflies to perform experiments. He discovered the key role thatluciferase andadenosine triphosphate (ATP) play in the process.
He began working with theOffice of Naval Research and theNational Institute of Health in the 1950s, and became a member of thePresident's Science Advisory Committee to PresidentJohn F. Kennedy in 1962. He later became the director of theNational Science Foundation from 1969 to 1972. He also served as the president of theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science from 1975 to 1976. He became chancellor of theUniversity of California San Diego from 1972 to 1980.
In collaboration withH. Bentley Glass he edited several symposium volumes, includingThe chemical basis of heredity,[2] with authors includingFrançois Jacob,Erwin Chargaff,Severo Ochoa,Arthur Kornberg,Max Delbrück andFrancis Crick. In his review[3]Conrad Waddington wrote as follows:
It deals with the most fundamental problem of analytical biology — the chemical nature and functioning of the basic units on which biological organisms are based. The contributors are ... of the very highest standard ... Workers in the large field of chromosomes, genes, nucleic acids and viruses will find the book essential.
He was awarded theHoward N. Potts Medal in 1971. He was also an elected member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences,[4] the United StatesNational Academy of Sciences,[5] and theAmerican Philosophical Society.[6]
In 1981, McElroy became a founding member of theWorld Cultural Council.[7]
McElroy married three times. He was first married to Nella Amelia Winch in 1940 with whom he had four children; Ann, Mary, Thomas and William, Jr. His second marriage was in 1967 to biochemist Marlene Anderegg DeLuca. Their one child is Eric Gene. After being widowed in 1987, he married again in 1997 to Olga Robles who survived him.
McElroy Ridge in theVictory Mountains ofVictoria Land, Antarctica was named after McElroy by theAdvisory Committee on Antarctic Names.[8]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Director of theNational Science Foundation July 1969 - January 1972 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chancellor of theUniversity of California San Diego 1972-1980 | Succeeded by |
