Lee Alvin DuBridge () was an American educator and
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 cau ...
, best known as president of the
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
from 1946–1969.
Background
Lee Alvin DuBridge was born on , in
Terre Haute, Indiana. His father was
Fred DuBridge
Frederick Alvin DuBridge (September 28, 1872 – January 29, 1959) was an American college football coach. He served as the head coach at Indiana State Normal School in 1898 and at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa from 1904 to 1905.
DuBri ...
, a football coach at
Indiana State Normal School.
He graduated from
Cornell College
Cornell College is a private college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by George Bryant Bowman. Four years later, in 1857, the name was changed to Cornell College, in honor of iron ty ...
in 1922, and then began a teaching assignment at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
, from which he received an M.A. degree in 1924
and a Ph.D. in 1926.
DuBridge continued his academic work at the
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
, as assistant, then associate professor at
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
(1928–1934), and the
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants Undergraduate education, undergraduate and graduate degrees, including Doctorate, do ...
.
Career
Academia
At Rochester, DuBridge began a long career as an academic administrator, serving as dean of the faculty of arts and sciences. On leave from Rochester between 1940 and 1946, he became the founding director of the
Radiation Laboratory
The Radiation Laboratory, commonly called the Rad Lab, was a microwave and radar research laboratory located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was first created in October 1940 and operated until 31 ...
at
MIT
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 m ...
. In 1946, DuBridge began serving as president of the California Institute of Technology through 1969.
[
]
Civil service
In 1958, he, along with William A. Fowler
William Alfred Fowler ( ) was an American nuclear physicist, later astrophysicist, who, with Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, won the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics. He is known for his theoretical and experimental research into nuclear reactions wit ...
, Max Mason
Charles Max Mason (–), better known as Max Mason, was an American mathematician. Mason was president of the University of Chicago (1925–1928) and president of the Rockefeller Foundation (1929–1936).
Mason's mathematical research inte ...
, Linus Pauling, and Bruce H. Sage, was awarded the Medal for Merit
The Medal for Merit was, during the period it was awarded, the highest civilian decoration of the United States. It was awarded by the President of the United States to civilians who "distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious conduct i ...
. DuBridge served as presidential Science Advisor under President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
from 1952–53 and under President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
from 1953-55, and (after retiring from Caltech) under President Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
from 1969–70.[
]
Associations
DuBridge served on boards for: RAND Corporation (1948–1961), National Science Board
The National Science Board (NSB) of the United States establishes the policies of the National Science Foundation (NSF) within the framework of applicable national policies set forth by the President and the Congress. The NSB also serves as an ind ...
(1950–1954), Western College Association (president, 1950–1951), Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1951–1957), Air Pollution Foundation (1953–1961), Institute for Defense Analysis (1956–1960), Rockefeller Foundation (1956–1976), National Science Board (vice chair, 1958–1964), Board of Governors for the Los Angeles Town Hall (1959–1963), Edison Foundation (1960–1968), KCET (1962–1968), Huntington Library
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927) and Arabella Huntington (c.1851–1924) in San Ma ...
(1962–1968), and National Educational Television
National Educational Television (NET) was an American educational broadcast television network owned by the Ford Foundation and later co-owned by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It operated from May 16, 1954 to October 4, 1970, and ...
(1964–1968).
Personal and death
DuBridge died of pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
at a retirement home in Duarte, California
Duarte () is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 21,727. It is bounded to the north by the San Gabriel Mountains, to the north and west by the cities of Bradbury and Monrovia, ...
, on .
Awards
* 1943: National Academy of Sciences
* 1947: Research Corporation Award
* 1948: United States Medal for Merit
The Medal for Merit was, during the period it was awarded, the highest civilian decoration of the United States. It was awarded by the President of the United States to civilians who "distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious conduct i ...
* 1967: Governor's Award, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
* 1968: Sesquicentennial Award, University of Michigan
* 1969: Lehman Award, New York Academy of Sciences
* 1974: Golden Plate Award, Academy of Achievement
The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...
* 1982: Vannevar Bush
Vannevar Bush ( ; March 11, 1890 – June 28, 1974) was an American engineer, inventor and science administrator, who during World War II headed the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), through which almost all warti ...
Award, National Science Foundation
* Minor planet 5678 DuBridge discovered by Eleanor Helin
Eleanor Francis "Glo" Helin (née Francis, 19 November 1932 – 25 January 2009) was an American astronomer. She was principal investigator of the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) program of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (Some sources gi ...
is named in his honor.
References
External links
Oral history interview transcript with Lee DuBridge on 13 December 1968, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
Oral history interview transcript with Lee DuBridge on 9 June 1972, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
Oral history interview transcript with Lee DuBridge on 14 February 1986, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
Oral history interview transcript with Lee DuBridge on 6 March 1987, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
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1901 births
1994 deaths
20th-century American physicists
California Institute of Technology faculty
Deaths from pneumonia in California
Fellows of the American Physical Society
Medal for Merit recipients
Office of Science and Technology Policy officials
People from Terre Haute, Indiana
Presidents of the California Institute of Technology
University of Rochester faculty
University of Wisconsin{{ndashMadison alumni
Vannevar Bush Award recipients
Washington University physicists
Washington University in St. Louis faculty
Presidents of the American Physical Society