Holman, Silas W. (Silas Whitcomb), 1856-1900

Silas Whitcomb Holman (1856-1900) was an 1876 graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), earning the degree of SB in physics. Upon his graduation he was appointed an assistant in the Department of Physics. He stayed at MIT throughout his life, moving up the ranks to instructor (1880), assistant professor (1882), associate professor (1885), professor (1893), and professor emeritus(1897).

Holman attended Cambridge public schools and, after three years of high school, enrolled at MIT in the fall of 1872. In 1873 he enrolled in the newly established course in physics, was commissioned as an officer in the Institute battalion, and elected president of his class association. Holman studied under Edward C. Pickering, first director of the Rogers Laboratory of Physics and Thayer Professor of Physics.

In 1876 Holman graduated and was shortly thereafter named an assistant in physics. His thesis, “The Atomic Theory as Applied to Gases,” was published in the Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

In 1877 he was able to begin teaching and doing experimental work. Professor Charles R. Cross (MIT, class of 1870) became the head of the Department of Physics and the Rogers Laboratory, with Holman as his assistant. Holman directed research in the laboratory, while Cross gave most of the lectures. In 1883 the Rogers Laboratory relocated from its cramped single room in the Rogers Building to a much more expansive space in what was called the “New Building” (later renamed “Walker”). Holman played a major role in outfitting the physics department’s new space-he was responsible for special laboratories dedicated to electrical measurements and high-temperature heat measurements.

Holman was married twice, first to Marie O. Glover (MIT, class of 1881) in July 1884. She died less than a year later, and in 1886 Holman married Lydia M. Newman. Their daughter Anna was born in 1892. Towards the end of his life Holman was blind and unable to move under his own power, but he was able to continue writing and directing research thanks to the efforts of his wife, who conducted literature searches, took dictation, and assisted him with his work. Holman died on April 1, 1900.

From the guide to the Silas W. Holman papers, Bulk, 1885-1900, 1875-1910, (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute Archives and Special Collections)