Wilson, E. Bright (Edgar Bright), 1908-

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Born in Gallati, Tennessee on 18 December 1908. Died: 12 July 1992. Education: B.S., Chemistry, Princeton University (1930), M.A., Princeton University (1931), Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, California Institute of Technology (1933). Employment: 1933-1934 California Institute of Technology; 1942-1944 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; 1944-1946 National Defense Research Committee; 1952-1953 Department of Defense; 1934- Harvard University.

From the description of Oral history interview with E. Bright Wilson, Jr., 1986 November 17 & 18 (Chemical Heritage Foundation). WorldCat record id: 715391589

Edgar Bright Wilson (1908-1992), physical chemist, was a leader in the study of molecules through spectroscopy. He was the Theodore William Richards Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University from 1947 to 1979.

He obtained his doctorate from the California Institute of Technology, where he studied with Nobel laureate Linus Pauling, in 1933. With Linus Pauling he wrote An Introduction to Quantum Mechanics with Applications to Chemistry, which was published in 1935. His long career at Harvard began with a 1934 appointment as a junior fellow.

His career also led him beyond Harvard. During World War II, he worked on the improvement of underwater explosives at Woods Hole, Mass. Later, he was a trustee of the Oceanographic Institute. In the 1950s he directed research for the Department of Defense. He also chaired the National Academy of Sciences' Committee on radioactive waste. In 1967 he was among a number of prominent scientists urging an end to the war in Vietnam. He retired from Harvard in 1979, but continued his research as a professor emeritus.

From the description of Papers of Edgar Bright Wilson, Jr., 1935-1983 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 76973220

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Edward U. Condon Papers, Circa 1920-1974 American Philosophical Society
referencedIn Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers, 1910-1994 (bulk 1922-1991) Oregon State University SpecialCollections & Archives Research Center, The ValleyLibrary
referencedIn Archive for the History of Quantum Physics, 1898-1950 (bulk), 1898-1950 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf Alexander, Jerome, b. 1876. Jerome Alexander correspondence, 1908-1953. Campbell University, Wiggins Memorial Library
referencedIn Learned Hand papers Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Leonard Carmichael Papers, 1898-1973, Circa 1917-1973 American Philosophical Society
referencedIn Jerome Alexander correspondence, 1908-1953 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
creatorOf Wilson, E. Bright (Edgar Bright), 1908-. Oral history interview with E. Bright Wilson, Jr., 1986 November 17 & 18 Chemical Heritage Foundation, Othmer Library of Chemical History
creatorOf Wilson, E. Bright (Edgar Bright), 1908-. Papers of Edgar Bright Wilson, Jr., 1935-1983 (inclusive). Harvard University Archives.
referencedIn Harry Levin papers Houghton Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Abraham, Max, 1875-1922 person
associatedWith Alexander, Jerome, b. 1876. person
associatedWith Amaldi, Edoardo, 1908-1989 person
associatedWith American Philosophical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith American Physical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith American Physical Society and American Philosophical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Andrade, E. N. da C., (Edward Neville da Costa), 1887-1971 person
associatedWith Back, Ernst, 1881-1959 person
associatedWith Bauer, Edmond, 1880-1963 person
associatedWith Becquerel, Jean, 1878-1953 person
associatedWith Benedicks, Carl Axel Fredrik, 1875-1953 person
associatedWith Berliner, Arnold, 1862-1942 person
associatedWith Birge, Raymond T., (Raymond Thayer), 1887-1980 person
associatedWith Bohr, Niels Henrik David, 1885-1962 person
associatedWith Born, Max, 1882-1970 person
associatedWith Breit, Gregory, 1899-1981 person
associatedWith Broglie, Louis de, 1892-1987 person
associatedWith Carmichael, Leonard, 1898-1973 person
associatedWith Chemical Heritage Foundation. corporateBody
associatedWith Cockcroft, John, Sir, 1897-1967 person
associatedWith Compton, Arthur Holly, 1892-1962 person
associatedWith Condon, Edward Uhler, 1902-1974 person
associatedWith Coster, Dirk, 1889-1950 person
associatedWith Darwin, Charles Galton, Sir, 1887-1962 person
associatedWith Debye, Peter J. W., (Peter Josef William), 1884-1966 person
associatedWith Dieke, Gerhard Heinrich, 1901-1965 person
associatedWith Dirac, P. A. M., (Paul Adrien Maurice), 1902-1984 person
associatedWith Eddington, Arthur Stanley, Sir, 1882-1944 person
associatedWith Ehrenfest, Paul, 1880-1933 person
associatedWith Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955 person
associatedWith Ferguson, Raymond C. person
associatedWith Fermi, Enrico, 1901-1954 person
associatedWith Fokker, A. D., (Adriaan Daniel), 1887-1972 person
associatedWith Fowler, A., (Alfred), 1868-1940 person
associatedWith Franck, James, 1882-1964 person
associatedWith Gerlach, Walther, 1889-1979 person
associatedWith Goudsmit, Samuel Abraham, 1902-1978 person
associatedWith Haber, Fritz, 1868-1934 person
associatedWith Hand, Learned, 1872-1961 person
associatedWith Harvard University. corporateBody
associatedWith Heisenberg, Werner, 1901-1976 person
associatedWith Hilbert, David, 1862-1943 person
associatedWith Joliot-Curie, Frédéric person
associatedWith Jordan, Pascual, 1902-1980 person
associatedWith Kamerlingh Onnes, Heike, 1853-1926 person
associatedWith Kapitsa, P. L., (Petr Leonidovich), 1894-1984 person
associatedWith Kayser, H., (Heinrich), 1853-1940 person
associatedWith Kemble, Edwin C., (Edwin Crawford), 1889-1984 person
associatedWith Kistiakowsky, George B. (George Bogdan), 1900-1982. person
associatedWith Klein, Oskar, 1894-1977 person
associatedWith Kramers, Hendrik Anthony, 1894-1952 person
associatedWith Ladenburg, Rudolf Walter, 1882-1952 person
associatedWith Langevin, Paul, 1872-1946 person
associatedWith Laue, Max von, 1879-1960 person
associatedWith Levin, Harry, 1912-1994 person
associatedWith London, Fritz, 1900-1954 person
associatedWith McLennan, J. C., (John Cunningham), 1867-1935 person
associatedWith Meitner, Lise, 1878-1968 person
associatedWith Mie, Gustav, 1868-1957 person
associatedWith Millikan, Robert Andrews, 1868-1953 person
associatedWith Mulliken, Robert Sanderson, 1896-1986 person
associatedWith Nishina, Yoshio, 1890-1951 person
associatedWith Oppenheimer, J. Robert, 1904-1967 person
associatedWith Paschen, F., (Friedrich), 1865-1947 person
associatedWith Pauling, Ava Helen person
associatedWith Pauling, Linus, 1901-1994 person
associatedWith Pauling, Linus Carl, 1901- person
associatedWith Pauli, Wolfgang, 1900-1958 person
associatedWith Planck, Max, 1858-1947 person
associatedWith Princeton University. corporateBody
associatedWith Rosenfeld, L., (Leon), 1904-1974 person
associatedWith Rosseland, Svein, 1894-1985 person
associatedWith Rubens, Heinrich, 1865-1922 person
associatedWith Runge, Carl, 1856-1927 person
associatedWith Rutherford, Ernest, 1871-1937 person
associatedWith Scheel, Karl, 1866-1936 person
associatedWith Schrödinger, Erwin, 1887-1961 person
associatedWith Sommerfeld, Arnold, 1868-1951 person
associatedWith Stark, Johannes, 1874-1957 person
associatedWith Thomson, J. J., Sir, (Joseph John), 1856-1940 person
associatedWith Uhlenbeck, George Eugène, 1900-1988 person
associatedWith Van Vleck, J. H., (John Hasbrouck), 1899-1980 person
associatedWith Voigt, Woldemar, 1850-1919 person
associatedWith Von Neumann, John, 1903-1957 person
associatedWith Warburg, Emil Gabriel, 1846-1931 person
associatedWith Weisskopf, Victor Frederick, 1908-2002 person
associatedWith Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. corporateBody
associatedWith Zeeman, Pieter, 1865-1943 person
Place Name Admin Code Country
United States
Massachusetts--Cambridge
Subject
Chemistry
Chemistry, Physical and theoretical
Chemists
Chemists
Molecular spectroscopy
Quantum theory
Spectrum analysis
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1908-12-18

Death 1992-06-12

Americans

English

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