David Locke Webster (November 6, 1888 – December 17, 1976) was an American

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

and

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

professor, whose early research on

X-rays An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 Picometre, picometers to 10 Nanometre, nanometers, corresponding to frequency, ...

and Parson's magneton influenced

Arthur Compton Arthur Holly Compton (September 10, 1892 – March 15, 1962) was an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1927 for his 1923 discovery of the Compton effect, which demonstrated the particle nature of electromagnetic radia ...

Biography

David Locke Webster was born November 6, 1888 in Boston, Massachusetts to Andrew Gerrish Webster and Elizabeth Florence Briggs. He attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, earning an A.B. in 1910 and a Ph.D. in

in 1913. His teaching career began at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

as a mathematics instructor, 1910–1911; physics assistant, 1911–15; and physics instructor, 1915–1917, during which time he published several papers on

X-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

theory. This work continued while served as a

instructor at the nearby

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

from 1919 to 1920. He acted a professor of

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

from 1920 until his retirement in 1954, when he was awarded Professor Emeritus status. Webster was a member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

, the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

, the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

, the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...

and the

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's act ...

. A member of the

American Association of Physics Teachers The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) was founded in 1930 for the purpose of "dissemination of knowledge of physics, particularly by way of teaching." There are more than 10,000 members in over 30 countries. AAPT publications includ ...

from its inception in 1930, Webster served as its Vice-President in 1933 and 1934 and as President in 1935 and 1936. During World War II, Webster served as head physicist in the

United States Army Signal Corps The United States Army Signal Corps (USASC) is a branch of the United States Army that creates and manages communications and information systems for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of Ma ...

(1942), chief physicist in the Ordnance Department (1942–45), and consultant to these units after 1945. Webster died December 17, 1976.John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes, ed., "David Locke Webster (6 Nov. 1888-17 Dec. 1976)", ''American National Biography'', V22, pp. 868-69 (New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1999).

Bibliography

Books

* David L. Webster, ''General Physics for Colleges'' (Century, 1923).

Scientific papers

* * * * * * * * * * * David L. Webster, "The Scattering of Alpha Rays as Evidence on the Parson Magnetron Hypothesis",
Physical Review
' (Feb 1918). * * David L. Webster, "The Physics of Flight", (May 1920). * * David L. Webster, "The Present Conception of Atomic Structure", (Jul 1921). * David L. Webster, "A General Survey of the Present Status of the Atomic Structure Problem", (Jul 1921). * David L. Webster, "Note on the Masses of Stars", (Jan 1922). * * * * * * * * * * * * * David L. Webster, "Forces on Ferromagnets through which Electrons are Moving", (Dec 1946). * *

References

External links

Archival collections

American Association of Physics Teachers records of David Locke Webster, 1930-1958, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, David Locke 20th-century American physicists Particle physicists Harvard College alumni Harvard University faculty Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science faculty Stanford University Department of Physics faculty People from Boston 1888 births 1976 deaths Theoretical physicists Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni