William T. Golden | |
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 Golden in 2009 | |
| Born | (1909-10-25)October 25, 1909 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | October 7, 2007(2007-10-07) (aged 97) Manhattan, New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Investment banker, Philanthropist, Science adviser |
William T. Golden (October 25, 1909 – October 7, 2007) was an American investment banker, philanthropist, and science adviser.[1][2]
Golden was born October 25, 1909, inNew York City; his parents were both the children of poor Lithuanian immigrants to the U.S., and his father worked in the textile industry and later became a banker.[1][2] He was an early fan of technology, and earned aham radio license at the age of 13.[2] He earned a baccalaureate in English and biology at theUniversity of Pennsylvania, and then studied for a year at theHarvard Business School before beginning work forHarold F. Linder onWall Street.[1][2] Much later in his life, he earned a master's degree in biology fromColumbia University in 1979,[1][2] and five honorary doctorates.[2]
DuringWorld War II, Golden worked for theU.S. Navy'sBureau of Ordnance, and helped developantiaircraft gun firing technology.[1] After the war, he worked withLewis Strauss at the newly formedAtomic Energy Commission.[1] In the 1950s, when presidentHarry Truman consulted Golden concerning the possible re-establishment of the wartimeOffice of Scientific Research and Development, Golden instead suggested appointing a science adviser to the president. Truman agreed, and the first science adviser wasOliver Ellsworth Buckley.[1] Golden was also instrumental in establishing theNational Science Foundation during Truman's term as president.[1][2]
Golden served on the boards of directors of multiple businesses, agencies, and universities, including theCarnegie Institution for Science, theAmerican Museum of Natural History, theMount Sinai Hospital, New York, and theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science.[1][2] TheWilliam T. Golden Center for Science and Engineering, the headquarters of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, was named after Golden in 1995.[2] In 2001, Golden received the AAAS Lifetime Achievement Award from theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science.[3] He was a member of theAmerican Philosophical Society, theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences, and theNational Academy of Sciences.[4][5][6]
Golden was married three times, to Sibyl Levy, with whom he had two daughters, to mathematicianJean Taylor, and to Catherine Morrison.[1][2]
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