Eugene William O'Brien (June 20, 1897 – 1984) was an American electrical,

mechanical Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

and

consulting engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

, editor, and publisher, who was 66th president of the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

in the year 1947-48.

Biography

Youth and education

O'Brien was born in 1899 in West Warwick, Rhode Island as son of John Joseph O'Brien and Mary (Flynn) O'Brien. His father was a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

and wheelwright.''Who's who in Transportation and Communication, Volume 1.'' Transportation Press in conjunction with Larkin, Roosevelt & Larkin, Limited, 1942. p. 522. After attending Warwick High School, O'Brien obtained his BSc in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

in 1919, and in 1921 his M.Sc.in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

. In 1925 he obtained his PhD in mechanical engineering from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Career and acknowledgement

O'Brien had started his career as faculty member at Brown University from 1918 to 1922, and at Yale University from 1922 to 1925. After his graduation from Yale in 1925 he started a private practice as consulting engineer, and was connected with the structural engineering firm Jenks & Ballou at Providence.Lester Gray French. ''Machinery,'' Volume 53, Part 1. 1946. p. 157 In 1927 O'Brien was appointed

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the ''Southern Power Journal,'' later ''Southern Power and Industry'', and moved up to managing director of the journal in 1933. In 1936 he was appointed vice president and director of W.R.C. Smith Publishing Company in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. In 1946 O'Brien had been elected president of the

(ASME) for the year 1947-48. He had started as ASME member in 1921, and had served as manager from 1931 to 1934, and as vice president from 1934 to 1936. In 1975 he was elected Honorary Member of the ASME. In 1958 O'Brien was named as "Brown's Ambassador-at-Large" by Brown University, and awarded the Brown Bear Award by the Brown Alumni Association for "outstanding personal service over a period of years."Eugene William O'Brien
" ''Brown alumni monthly,'' July 1958. p. 16. (with picture)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, Eugene W. 1897 births 1984 deaths American electrical engineers American mechanical engineers American editors Brown University School of Engineering alumni Yale University alumni Brown University faculty People from West Warwick, Rhode Island Presidents of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 20th-century American engineers