Colby, Walter F., 1880-1970

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Walter F. Colby was a professor of physics at the University of Michigan. He was born in Rockford, Michigan in 1880, and attended high school in Muskegon. He earned his bachelor of arts degree at the University of Michigan in 1901 and the doctor of philosophy degree in 1909. He has also studied abroad at the University of Vienna and did research in Tubingen, Munich, Hamburg, and the Bohr Institute, in Copenhagen.

In 1906, Colby was appointed an assistant in the department of physics of the University of Michigan. He became full professor in 1919. During World War II, Colby participated in an army intelligence mission to Paris and Germany. In 1947 he was awarded the Medal of Freedom in recognition of this service and he received the Order of the British Empire in 1948.

He was a member of American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Phi Beta Kappa.

In 1929 Professor Colby married Martha Guernsey, associate professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.

He died on July 2, 1970 in Washington, D.C.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Klein, Oskar. Oral history interview with Oskar Benjamin Klein, 1962 September 25 to 16 July 1963. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library
referencedIn Goudsmit, Samuel A. (Samuel Abraham), 1902-1978. Oral history interview with Samuel Abraham Goudsmit, 1963 December 5 and 7. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library
referencedIn Crane, H. R. (Horace Richard), 1907-2007. Oral history interview with H. R. Crane, 1973 March 28 and 18 June 1974. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library
creatorOf Randall, Harrison M. (Harrison McAllister), 1870-1969. Harrison M. Randall papers, 1897-1956. Bentley Historical Library
referencedIn Inglis, David Rittenhouse, 1905-1995. Oral history interview with David Rittenhouse Inglis, 1977 May 9 and 10. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library
referencedIn Goudsmit, Samuel A. (Samuel Abraham), 1902-1978. Papers, 1921-1978. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library
referencedIn Clarence De Witt Thorpe Papers, 1921-1959 Bentley Historical Library
referencedIn Archive for the History of Quantum Physics, 1898-1950 (bulk), 1898-1950 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf Walter F. Colby papers, 1924-1970 Bentley Historical Library
referencedIn Randall, Harrison M. (Harrison McAllister), b. 1870. Oral history interview with Harrison M. Randall, 1964 February 19 and 1965 June 21. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library
creatorOf Thorpe, Clarence De Witt, 1887-. Clarence D. Thorpe papers, 1921-1959. Bentley Historical Library
creatorOf Colby, Walter F. (Walter Francis), b. 1880. Walter F. Colby papers, 1924-1970. Bentley Historical Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Abraham, Max, 1875-1922 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 Cockcroft, John, Sir, 1897-1967 person
associatedWith Colby, Martha Guernsey, d. 1958. person
associatedWith Compton, Arthur Holly, 1892-1962 person
associatedWith Coster, Dirk, 1889-1950 person
associatedWith Crane, H. R. (Horace Richard), 1907-2007. person
associatedWith Darwin, Charles Galton, Sir, 1887-1962 person
associatedWith Debye, Peter J. W., (Peter Josef William), 1884-1966 person
associatedWith Dennison, David M. (David Mathias), 1900-1976. 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 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 A. (Samuel Abraham), 1902-1978. person
associatedWith Guillemin, Victor, 1937- person
associatedWith Haber, Fritz, 1868-1934 person
associatedWith Heisenberg, Werner, 1901-1976 person
associatedWith Hilbert, David, 1862-1943 person
associatedWith Inglis, David Rittenhouse, 1905-1995. 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- person
associatedWith Klein, Oskar. 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 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, Linus, 1901-1994 person
associatedWith Pauli, Wolfgang, 1900-1958 person
associatedWith Planck, Max, 1858-1947 person
associatedWith Randall, Harrison M. (Harrison McAllister), 1870-1969. person
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 Thorpe, Clarence De Witt, 1887- person
associatedWith Uhlenbeck, George Eugène, 1900-1988 person
associatedWith University of Michigan corporateBody
associatedWith University of Michigan. Dept. of Physics. corporateBody
associatedWith University of Michigan. Dept. of Physics. corporateBody
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 Zeeman, Pieter, 1865-1943 person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Muskegon MI US
Paris A8 FR
Ann Arbor MI US
Munich 02 DE
Vienna 09 AT
Copenhagen 17 DK
Hamburg 04 DE
Subject
Astronomical observatories
Physicists
Physics
University professors
Occupation
Physics Professor
Activity

Person

Birth 1880

Death 1970-07-02

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