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Table of Contents

Biography

Important DatesOccupationPlacesSubjects

Relationships

PeopleInstitutions

Resources

Archival as AuthorArchival as SubjectPublished as AuthorPublished as Subject

John T. Tate

Photo

Dates

July 28, 1889 – May 27, 1950

Authorized Form of Name

Tate, John T. (John Torrence), 1889-1950

Additional Forms of Names

Tate, John T.

Tate, John Torrence

Biography

Important Dates

July 28, 1889Birth, Lenox (Iowa).

1910 – 1912Obtained BS and MA, University of Nebraska, Lincoln (Neb.).

1914Obtained Ph.D. in physics, University of Berlin, Berlin (Germany).

1914 – 1916Instructor in Physics (1914-15) and Assistant Professor of Physics (1915-16), University of Nebraska, Lincoln (Neb.).

1916 – 1950Instructor in Physics (1916-17), Assistant Professor of Physics (1917-18), Associate Professor of Physics (1919-21), Professor of Physics (1921-37), Dean of College of Science, Literature and Art (1937-43), and Research Professor of Physics (1943-50), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (Minn.).

1917 – 1918Lieutenant, United States Army Signal Corps.

1926 – 1950Managing Editor, Physical Review.

1935 – 1950Member, Advisory Council on Applied Physics, American Institute of Physics (AIP).

1939President, American Physical Society (APS).

1941 – 1945Chief, Division 6 (Undersea Warfare), National Defense Research Committee, Office of Scientific Research and Development.

1942Member, National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

1946 – 1949Chairman, Board of Governors, Argonne National Laboratory.

May 27, 1950Death, Minneapolis (Minn.).

Occupation

Physicist and journal editor.

Places

Birth

Lenox (Iowa)

Undergraduate Education

Lincoln (Neb.)

Graduate Education

Lincoln (Neb.)

Berlin (Germany)

Employment

Lincoln (Neb.)

Minneapolis (Minn.)

Death

Minneapolis (Minn.)

Subjects

Mechanics.

Quantum theory.

Relationships

People

Family

Mitchell, Madeline

Second wife, married June 30, 1945. Worked together on the "Physical Review."

Tate, John Torrence, 1925-

Son, distinguished mathematician.

Tate, Lois Beatrice Fossler

First wife, married December 28, 1917. Passed away in 1939.

Tate, Minnie Ralston

Mother.

Tate, Samuel A.

Father.

Advisors & Collaborators

Barton, Henry Askew, 1898-1983

Collaborated to found the American Institute of Physics (AIP).

Brattain, Walter H. (Walter Houser), 1902-1987

Ph.D. advisor at the University of Minnesota.

Foote, Paul D. (Paul Darwin), 1888-1971

Collaborated on work with the latent heat of evaporation of metals.

Franck, James, 1882-1964

Advised by Franck at the University of Berlin in the heat of vaporization of metals.

Kusch, Polykarp, 1911-1993

Advised by Tate at University of Minnesota.

Nier, Alfred O. (Alfred Otto), 1911-1994

Ph.D. advisor and worked together at the University of Minnesota on a mass spectrographic study of the isotopes of argon, potassium, rubidium, zinc, and cadmium.

Williams, John H. (John Harry), 1908-

Research assistant and protégé at the University of Minnesota.

Colleagues

Bardeen, John

Both employed at the University of Minnesota.

Breit, Gregory, 1899-1981

Both employed at the University of Minnesota.

Buchta, J. W. (J. William), 1895-1966

Both employed at the University of Minnesota.

Compton, Arthur Holly, 1892-1962

Both employed at the University of Minnesota.

Condon, Edward Uhler, 1902-1974

Both employed at the University of Minnesota.

Hill, Edward Lee, 1904-1974

Both employed at the University of Minnesota.

Hutchisson, Elmer, 1902-

Both employed at the University of Minnesota and for Division 6 of the Office of Scientific Research and Development.

Klopsteg, Paul E. (Paul Ernest), 1889-

Both employed at the University of Minnesota.

Lasky, Dorothy M.

Both employed at Division 6 of the Office of Scientific Research and Development.

McKeehan, L. W. (Louis Williams), 1887-1975

Both employed at the University of Minnesota.

Ney, Edward Purdy, 1920-

Both employed at the University of Minnesota.

Shankland, Robert S., 1908-

Worked under Tate at the Office of Scientific Research and Development.

Slichter, Louis B. (Louis Byrne), 1896-1978

Both employed at Division 6 of the Office of Scientific Research and Development.

Swann, W. F. G. (William Francis Gray), 1884-1962

Both employed at University of Minnesota.

Van Vleck, J. H. (John Hasbrouck), 1899-1980

Worked together on the Physical Review and both employed at the University of Minnesota.

Winckler, John R.

Both employed at the University of Minnesota.

Additional

Bleakney, Walker, 1901-1992

One of Tate's students at the University of Minnesota.

Bridgman, P. W. (Percy Williams), 1882-1961

Darrow, Karl K. (Karl Kelchner), 1891-

Dennison, David M. (David Mathias), 1900-1976

Hartley, Ralph Vinton Lyon, 1888-1970

Kovarik, A. F. (Alois Francis), 1880-1965

Langmuir, Irving, 1881-1957

Loeb, Leonard B. (Leonard Benedict), 1891-

Millikan, Robert Andrews, 1868-1953

Nielson, Walter M., 1900-1981.

Oppenheimer, J. Robert, 1904-1967

Pegram, George Braxton, 1876-1958

Pound, Robert V.

Pugh, Emerson M.

Slater, John C. (John Clarke), 1900-1976

Tuve, Merle Antony, 1901-1982

Student of Tate's at the University of Minnesota.

Wilson, Robert R., 1914-2000

Zeleny, Anthony, 1870-1947

Helped Tate obtain his position at the University of Minnesota.

Zwicky, F. (Fritz), 1898-1974

Institutions

Major Positions

United States. Army. Signal Corps

Lieutenant during World War I.

United States. Office of Scientific Research and Development

Chief, Division 6 (Undersea Warfare).

University of Minnesota. College of Science, Literature, and the Arts

Dean.

University of Minnesota. Department of Physics and Astronomy

Instructor in Physics; Assistant Professor of Physics; Associate Professor of Physics; Professor of Physics; and Research Professor of Physics.

University of Nebraska -- Lincoln. Department of Physics and Astronomy

Obtained BS and MA; was instructor in physics and assistant professor of physics.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

Acoustical Society of America

American Association of Physics Teachers

American Institute of Physics

Member, first Governing Board and Chairman, Governing Board and member, Advisory Council on Applied Physics.

American Philosophical Society

American Physical Society

President and Managing editor of the "Physical Review."

Argonne National Laboratory

Chairman, Board of Governors.

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Obtained Ph.D. in physics.

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Optical Society of America

Phi Beta Kappa

Society of Rheology (U.S.)

Society of the Sigma Xi

United States. Office of Scientific Research and Development. National Defense Research Committee

Chief, Divison of Subsurface Warfare and chief and member, Rocket Ordnance Division.

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

John Tate lectures on mechanics at the University of Minnesota.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Reviews of Modern Physics correspondence of John Torrence Tate, 1928.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Subject

AIP Office of the Director records of Henry A. Barton, 1931-1964.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Alois Francis Kovarik papers, 1902-1951.

Manuscripts and Archives

Yale University Library

Box 208240, New Haven, CT 06520, USA

APS Office of the Treasurer records of George B. Pegram, 1926-1957.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Dedication of Tate Laboratory of Physics [sound recording], 1966.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Emerson Pugh papers, 1929-1970.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Fritz Zwicky papers.

Fritz-Swicky-Bibliothek

Landesbibliothek Glarus

CH-8750 Clarus, Switzerland

John Clarke Slater papers, 1908-1976.

Library

American Philosophical Society

105 South Fifth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA

Oral history interview with Elmer Hutchisson, 1970 October 22.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Henry A. Barton, 1970 March 3 and 16.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with J. H. Van Vleck, 1963 October 2 and 4.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Leonard B. Loeb, 1962 August 7.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Merle Antony Tuve, 1967 March 30.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Robert S. Shankland, 1974 August 20 and 21.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Robert V. Pound, 2006 September 23, November 4, 18, 2007 February 19 and April 22.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history joint interview with James Franck and Hertha Sponer-Franck, 1962 July 9 to 14.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Physical Review records, 1940-1947.

Manuscript Division

Library of Congress

James Madison Memorial Building, First Street and Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20540, USA

Ralph Vinton Lyon Hartley papers, 1920-1970.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

University of Minnesota Department of Physics papers, 1886-1972.

University Archives

University of Minnesota

Andersen Library, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Walter M. Nielsen papers, 1922-1929.

Archives

Duke University

341 Perkins Library, Duke University, Durham, NC 27706, USA

William Francis Gray Swann papers, 1903-1962.

Library

American Philosophical Society

105 South Fifth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA

Published Resources

Author

Electrodynamics of moving media : report of the National Research Council Committee on Electrodynamics of Moving Media / by W.F.G. Swann, John T. Tate, H. Bateman, E.H. Kennard.

Summary technical report of Division 6, NDRC / U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development, Vannevar Bush, Director, National Defense Research Committee, James B. Conant, Chairman, Division 6, John T. Tate, Chief.

Subject

John Torrence Tate 1889-1950 Physics Today obituary

John Torrence Tate: 1889-1950 [by] Alfred O. C. Nier and John H. Van Vleck