Col. F. T. Matthias was commanding officer and area engineer of the Hanford Engineer Works of the Manhattan Engineer District.
Franklin T. Matthias was born in 1908 and graduated in engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1933. He began his career designing dams for the TVA. He joined the regular army in April 1941 to fulfill his ROTC obligation and supervised the construction of the Pentagon for Gen. Leslie R. Groves. When Groves was chosen to head the Manhattan Project, he appointed Matthias to find a site for the U-235 and plutonium refining facilities. Matthias chose Hanford, Washington, and was subsequntly charged with constructing both the Hanford Engineer Works and the town of Richland. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company was the prime contractor, with the Morrison-Knudsen Company handling regular construction. Work was begun in April 1943 and completed in February 1945. Matthias was released from the army at the conclusion of the war and returned to civil engineering work with Kaiser Engineers.
From the description of Papers, 1942-1993. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 86134211
