Morrough "Mike" Parker O'Brien, Jr. (September 21, 1902 – July 28, 1988) was an American

hydraulic engineering Hydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive use of gravity as the motive force to cause the move ...

professor and is considered the founder of modern

coastal engineering Coastal engineering is a branch of civil engineering concerned with the specific demands posed by constructing at or near the coast, as well as the development of the coast itself. The fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic impact of especially wind wave, ...

. In addition to his academic work, O'Brien served as a consultant on a variety of government and private sector projects including work for

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

. O'Brien's government career culminated in a presidential appointment to the

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 of the United States, president and the United ...

Early life and education

O'Brien, the only child of Morrough O'Brien Sr. and Lulu Avis Parker was born in

Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. Located along Lake Michigan, it is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the Li ...

on September 21, 1902. O'Brien grew up in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

until age ten, then

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

for two years before moving to

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

where he attended St. John's High School. O'Brien then attended St. John's College in Toledo for his freshman year of college and Holy Cross College for his sophomore year before finally matriculating at

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(MIT). Two years later in 1927, O'Brien was one of seven recipients of a scholarship from John R. Freeman to study

at the '' Techniche Hauptschule of Danzig'' for six weeks followed by a year studying at the Royal College of Engineering in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. O'Brien took a second Freeman scholarship in France while also working at United States

Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce The Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce (BFDC) was a bureau in the United States Department of Commerce and Labor from 1912-1953 that conducted statistical analysis, promoted trade and industry. Organizational History The BFDC was establishe ...

office in with the American legation in Stockholm.His grandfather and grandmother on his fathers side were born in Ireland.

Career

Academia

In 1928, O'Brien returned from studies in Europe and accepted an assistant professorship of

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. O'Brien was advanced to associate professor in 1931 and to full-professorship and chair of the mechanical engineering department in 1937. From 1943 to 1959 he served as the dean of the university's newly created college of engineering.

Clark Kerr Clark Kerr (May 17, 1911 – December 1, 2003) was an American economist and academic administrator. He was the first chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and twelfth president of the University of California. Early life and ...

credited O'Brien with improving Berkeley's standing in the field of engineering schools from mid-tier to on par with the schools like

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

. In 1950 O'Brien was one of the "Committee of Seven" opposing Regent John Francis Neylan's call to fire any faculty refusing to sign a

loyalty oath Loyalty is a Fixation (psychology), devotion to a country, philosophy, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only another human being can be the obj ...

meant to target communist sympathizers. That same year he helped organize the first International Conference on Coastal Engineering. In the proceedings of the conference O'Brien coined the term ''coastal engineering''. Because of his long career in the field O'Brien is considered the founder of modern coastal engineering. During O'Brien's tenure as dean, Berkeley acquired the Richmond Field Station for O'Brien's engineering laboratories. In 1959, the university recognized O'Brien's lifetime contributions by awarding him the title of "dean emeritus" and a

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

concurrent with his retirement. He was also awarded a

D.Sc. A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

and a D.Eng. by Purdue. O'Brien Hall, the home of Berkeley's Hydraulic Engineering Lab, was named in his honor. In 1962 O'Brien and colleague Dwight Vorkoeper received a patent for their hydraulically-actuated divisible-wedge

log splitter A log splitter is a piece of machinery or equipment used for splitting firewood from softwood or hardwood logs that have been pre-cut into sections (rounds), usually by chainsaw or on a saw bench. Many log splitters consist of a hydraulic pump ...

. 12 linear feet of O'Brien's documents are archived in

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Riverside, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of Cali ...

's Water Resources Collection.

Government and other private sector work

Upon graduating from MIT in 1925 O'Brien worked for the Hudson River Regulating District, at the Green Island dam on the

Sacandaga River The Sacandaga River is a river in the northern part of New York (state), New York in the United States. Its name comes from the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Native American ''Sa-chen-da'-ga'', meaning "overflowed lands". The Sacandaga Ri ...

, which was owned at the time by

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...

. Because Ford refused to pay interest on loans from banks work at the dam dried up and O'Brien accepted an assistant professorship in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

during the academic year, returning to work at the dam the next two summers. In the late 1920s O'Brien collected measurements of air and water currents as well as tides and beach profiles in New Jersey on behalf of the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association to address the problem of beach erosion. In 1930, O'Brien became a founding member of the

Beach Erosion Board The Beach Erosion Board (BEB) was a federal board organized under the US Government's War Department (later, the Department of Defense), U.S. Army, and was a part of the civil works program of the United States Army Corps of Engineers ...

having been hired two years earlier by its predecessor organization. His interest in beach erosion led him to author a seven-volume study of the entire United States Pacific coastline, ''A Report on Sand Movement and Beach Erosion Along the Pacific Coast of the United States'', in which he both addressed every American inlet and harbor on the Pacific and documented the phenomenon of

littoral drift Longshore drift from longshore current is a geological process that consists of the transportation of sediments (clay, silt, pebbles, sand, shingle, shells) along a coast parallel to the shoreline, which is dependent on the angle of incoming w ...

. O'Brien continued to serve as a member of the Beach Erosion Board and beyond 1963, its successor organization, the Coastal Engineering Research Center until his retirement in 1978. In the late 1930s O'Brien did consulting work for

Weyerhaeuser Company The Weyerhaeuser Company ( ) is an American timberland company which owns nearly of timberlands in the U.S., and manages an additional of timberlands under long-term licenses in Canada. The company has manufactured wood products for over a c ...

to improve the flow in their log ponds. He also provided consultation on the placement of caissons during the construction of the ill-fated

Tacoma Narrows Bridge The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a pair of twin bridges, twin suspension bridges that span the Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound in Pierce County, Washington, Pierce County, Washington (state), Washington. The bridges connect the city of Tacom ...

. O'Brien had also been on the consulting board of the

Waterways Experiment Station The Waterways Experiment Station (WES) is a United States Army Corps of Engineers research campus in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The campus hosts the headquarters of the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and four of its seven laborato ...

. During World War II, O'Brien was employed as an adviser for the

Bureau of Ships The United States Navy's Bureau of Ships (BuShips) was established by Congress on 20 June 1940, by a law which consolidated the functions of the Bureau of Construction and Repair (BuC&R) and the Bureau of Engineering (BuEng). The new bureau was ...

. He worked on several government projects and contracts including work on the development of

FMC Corporation FMC Corporation is an American chemical manufacturing company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which originated as an insecticide producer in 1883 and later diversified into other industries. In 1941 at the beginning of US involvemen ...

Landing Vehicle Tracked The Amphibious Vehicle, Tracked (LVT or AMTRAC) is an amphibious warfare vehicle and Amphibious vehicle, amphibious landing craft, introduced by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. (The USN and USMC use ''L'' to designate ...

. In light of the difficult

amphibious landing Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducted ...

s during the

Battle of Tarawa The Battle of Tarawa was fought on 20–23 November 1943 between the United States and Japan on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, and was part of Operation Galvanic, the U.S. invasion of the Gilberts. Nearly 6,400 Japanese, Koreans, and Am ...

, O'Brien along with other colleagues at Berkeley as well as H. U. Sverdrup developed a method of determining the depth of coastal water based on the height of the ocean waves. After the war, O'Brien led tests in the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

to predict the effects of an underwater

nuclear detonation A nuclear explosion is an explosion that occurs as a result of the rapid release of energy from a high-speed nuclear reaction. The driving reaction may be nuclear fission or nuclear fusion or a multi-stage cascading combination of the two, th ...

in preparation for

Operation Crossroads Operation Crossroads was a pair of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. They were the first nuclear weapon tests since Trinity on July 16, 1945, and the first detonations of nuclear devices sinc ...

testing. O'Brien also had a long career as a technical consultant to

, particularly their aerospace division, where he contributed to the development of axial-flow jet engines. O'Brien was elected to their Propulsion Hall of Fame in 1984. From 1958 to 1960 O'Brien was appointed by

President Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary ...

to serve on the

. From 1961 to 1965 O'Brien served on the

Defense Science Board The Defense Science Board (DSB) is a committee of civilian experts appointed to advise the U.S. Department of Defense on scientific and technical matters. It was established in 1956 on the second Hoover Commission's recommendation. Charter The B ...

as well as chairman of the

Army Scientific Advisory Panel The Army Science Board (ASB) provides advice about army science to senior military leaders. The ASB is a Federal Advisory Committee organized under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. It is the United States Department of the Army senior scienti ...

of which he had been a member since 1954.

Published works

* * * * * *

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, Morrough Parker 1902 births 1988 deaths Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni UC Berkeley College of Engineering faculty People from Hammond, Indiana Hydraulic engineers 20th-century American engineers American fluid dynamicists United States Army Science Board people