Walter Bartky (1901–1958) was an American astronomer, applied mathematician, and educator, noteworthy for his role in the
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...
.
[Walter Bartky, Atomic Heritage Foundation]
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Education and career
Walter Bartky received his B.S. from the University of Chicago in 1923 and his Ph.D. in 1926. At the University of Chicago he was an instructor in 1926, an assistant professor of astronomy from 1927 to 1932, and an associate professor of astronomy from 1932 to 1942. At the University of Chicago he became in 1943 a professor of applied mathematics and associate dean in the Division of Physical Sciences, served from 1945 to 1955 as the dean of the Division of Physical Sciences, and served from 1955 to 1958 as vice president in charge special scientific programs.[
Walter Bartky was from 1926 to 1930 a consulting mathematician to Western Electric Company. In 1935 his book ''Highlights of Astronomy'' was published. During World War II he was the assistant director of the Manhattan Project's Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago.][
In 1945 he was one of the signers of the Szilárd petition. In May 1945, he accompanied ]Leo Szilard
Leo Szilard (; hu, Szilárd Leó, pronounced ; born Leó Spitz; February 11, 1898 – May 30, 1964) was a Hungarian-German-American physicist and inventor. He conceived the nuclear chain reaction in 1933, patented the idea of a nuclear ...
and Harold Urey
Harold Clayton Urey ( ; April 29, 1893 – January 5, 1981) was an American physical chemist whose pioneering work on isotopes earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934 for the discovery of deuterium. He played a significant role in th ...
to Spartanburg, South Carolina
Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Off ...
to present a memorandum to James F. Byrnes
James Francis Byrnes ( ; May 2, 1882 – April 9, 1972) was an American judge and politician from South Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in U.S. Congress and on the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as in the executive branch, ...
; the memorandum suggested that dropping an atomic bomb on Japan might start a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union.
Personal life
On 9 January 1932, Walter Bartky married Elizabeth Inrig Robertson, of Glasgow, Scotland. The marriage produced two children, Walter Scott Bartky and Ian Robertson Bartky. W. Scott Bartky (1932–2010) was an engineer, entrepreneur and inventor with over 40 patents. Ian R. Bartky (1934–2007) was a physical chemist and historian of science.
Selected publications
*with A. J. Dempster
Arthur Jeffrey Dempster (August 14, 1886 – March 11, 1950) was a Canadian-American physicist best known for his work in mass spectrometry and his discovery in 1935 of the uranium isotope 235U.
Early life and education
Dempster was born in T ...
:
*with W. D. MacMillan:
*
*
*with A. J. Dempster:
Patents
*
References
External links
Guide to the Walter Bartky Papers 1940-1947
from th
University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartky, Walter
1901 births
1958 deaths
Manhattan Project people
University of Chicago alumni
University of Chicago faculty