Jerome B. Wiesner

Biography

Abstract

Jerome Wiesner was President of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (1971-1980). Other institutional affiliations include the President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC) and Los Alamos Laboratory (Manhattan Project). As a scientist and teacher, his research interests include microwave theory, communications science and engineering, signal processing, radio, and radar. As Science Adviser to President Kennedy, Wiesner worked on a treaty to ban underground nuclear testing by the United States, Soviet Union, and United Kingdom.

Important Dates

May 30, 1915Birth, Detroit (Mich.).

1937Obtained BS, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Mich.).

1937 – 1940Associate Director of Broadcasting, University of Michigan.

1938Obtained MS, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Mich.).

1940 – 1942Chief Engineer, Acoustics and Recording Laboratory, Library of Congress.

1942 – 1945Researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Radiation Laboratory.

1945 – 1946Researcher and Group Leader, Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

1946 – 1961Assistant Professor to Professor of Electrical Engineering (1946-1961); Assistant Director, Research Laboratory of Electronics (1947-1950); Associate Director, Research Laboratory of Electronics (1950-1952); Director, Research Laboratory of Electronics (1952-1961); and Head, Department of Electrical Engineering (1959-1960), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge (Mass.).

1950Obtained PhD in Electrical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Mich.).

1956 – 1964Member (1956-1964) and Chair and Science Adviser to the President (1961-1964), President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

1960Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1962 – 1964Director, Office of Science and Technology, Executive Office of the President.

1964 – 1994Dean of Science (1964-1966); Provost (1966-1971); President (1971-1980); Institute Professor and Emeritus President (1980-1994), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge (Mass.).

1974 – 1981Member, Technology Advisory Commission (1974-1981) and Chair, Advisory Council (1976-1981), Office of Technology Assessment, United States Congress.

October 21, 1994Death, Watertown (Mass.).

Occupation

Electrical engineer.

Places

Birth

Detroit (Mich.)

Undergraduate Education

Ann Arbor (Mich.)

Graduate Education

Ann Arbor (Mich.)

Employment

Cambridge (Mass.)

Death

Watertown (Mass.)

Subjects

Electrical engineering.

Microwaves.

Nuclear arms control.

Radar.

Relationships

People

Colleagues

Allison, Samuel King, 1900-1965

Both employed at the Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

Al'tshuler, B. L.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Bacher, Robert F. (Robert Fox), 1905-2004

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Baker, William O. (William Oliver), 1915-2005

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Bardeen, John

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Barschall, H. H. (Henry Herman), 1915-1997

Both employed at Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

Beadle, George Wells, 1903-1989

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Bederson, Benjamin

Both employed at Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

Benedek, George Bernard, 1928-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Berkner, Lloyd V. (Lloyd Viel), 1905-1967

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Bertsch, George F.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Bethe, Hans A. (Hans Albrecht), 1906-2005

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Birgeneau, Robert J. (Robert Joseph), 1942-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Bitter, Francis, 1902-1967

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Bronk, Detlev W. (Detlev Wulf), 1897-1975

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Brooks, Harvey

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Bush, Vannevar, 1890-1974

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Callen, Herbert B.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Calvin, Melvin, 1911-1997

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Case, Kenneth M.

Both employed at the Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

Chance, Britton

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Compton, K. T. (Karl Taylor), 1887-1954

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Coppi, B.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Corson, Dale R.

Both employed at Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

Davidson, Ronald C.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Deutsch, Martin, 1917-2002

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

Doty, Paul M., 1920-2011

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Dresselhaus, M. S.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Dryden, Hugh L. (Hugh Latimer), 1898-1965

Both worked at United States Office of Defense Mobilization.

DuBridge, Lee A. (Lee Alvin), 1901-1994

Both worked at United States Office of Defense Mobilization.

Duffield, Robert B.

Both employed at Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

Edgerton, Harold Eugene, 1903-1990

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Enge, Harald A.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Feshbach, Herman

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Fisk, James B. (James Brown), 1910-1981

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Fitch, Val L., 1923-2015

Both employed at Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

Freedman, Daniel Z.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Friedman, Jerome I. (Jerome Isaac), 1930-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Garwin, Richard L.

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Gilliland, Edwin Richard, 1909-1973

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Glimm, James

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Goldstone, Jeffrey

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Guth, Alan H.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Handler, Philip, 1917-1981

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Haskins, Caryl P. (Caryl Parker), 1908-2001

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Haus, Hermann A.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Hornig, Donald F., 1920-2013

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Howard, Louis N.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Hunsaker, Jerome C. (Jerome Clarke), 1886-1984

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Jackiw, Roman W.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Javan, Ali, 1926-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Joannopoulos, J. D. (John D.), 1947-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kastner, Marc A.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kendall, Henry W. (Henry Way), 1926-1999

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Ketterle, Wolfgang

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Keyes, Frederick G. (Frederick George), 1885-1976

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Killian, James Rhyne, 1904-1988

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Kistiakowsky, George B. (George Bogdan), 1900-1982

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Kleppner, Daniel

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kraushaar, William L.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Land, Edwin Herbert, 1909-1991

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Lax, Benjamin

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Lee, P. A. (Patrick A.), 1946-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Lieb, Elliott H.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Lin, C. C. (Chia-Chʻiao), 1916-2013

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Livingston, M. Stanley (Milton Stanley)

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Loeb, Robert F. (Robert Frederick), 1895-1973

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Long, Franklin A., 1910-1999

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Low, Francis E. (Francis Eugene), 1921-2007

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

MacDonald, Gordon J. (Gordon James), 1929-2002

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

MacLeod, Colin M. (Colin Munro), 1909-

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Marshak, Robert E. (Robert Eugene), 1916-1992

Both employed at Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

Mayer, Maria Goeppert, 1906-1972

Both employed at Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

McDaniel, Boyce D. (Boyce Dawkins), 1917-

Both employed at Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

McElroy, William David, 1917-

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Morrison, Philip

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Morse, Philip M. (Philip McCord), 1903-1985

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Page, Lyman A.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Panofsky, Wolfgang K. H. (Wolfgang Kurt Hermann), 1919-2007

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Phillips, William D. (William Daniel), 1948-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Pierce, John R. (John Robinson), 1910-2002

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Piore, Emanuel Ruben, 1908-2000

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Porkolab, Miklos

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Press, Frank, 1924-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Pritchard, David E. (David Edward), 1941-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Purcell, Edward M.

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Rabi, I. I. (Isidor Isaac), 1898-1988

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Randall, Lisa

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Rasmussen, Norman C.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Rieser, Leonard M.

Both employed at Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

Robertson, H. P. (Howard Percy), 1903-1961

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Rossi, Bruno, 1905-1993

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Schiff, Leonard I. (Leonard Isaac), 1915-1971

Both employed at Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

Seaborg, Glenn T. (Glenn Theodore), 1912-1999

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Segal, Irving Ezra

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Seitz, Frederick, 1911-2008

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Shull, Clifford Glenwood

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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

Both employed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Slichter, Charles P.

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Smith, Cyril Stanley, 1903-1992

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Stanley, H. Eugene (Harry Eugene), 1941-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Stever, H. Guyford

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Stratton, Julius Adams, 1901-1994

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Ting, S. C. C. (Samuel Chao-chung), 1936-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Townes, Charles H.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Tukey, John W. (John Wilder), 1915-2000

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Turkevich, Anthony, 1916-2002

Both employed at Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project.

Waterman, Alan Tower, 1892-1967

Both worked at United States Office of Defense Mobilization.

Weinberg, Alvin Martin, 1915-2006

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Weinberg, Steven, 1933-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Weiss, Paul S.

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Weiss, Rainer

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Weisskopf, Victor Frederick, 1908-2002

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

York, Herbert F. (Herbert Frank)

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Zacharias, Jerrold Reinach, 1905-1986

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and United States Office of Defense Mobilization.

Zinn, Walter H. (Walter Henry), 1906-2000

Both worked on President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Additional

Feld, Bernard Taub, 1919-

Ford, Vincent, 1907-2001

Golovin, Nicholas E. (Nicholas Erasmus), 1912-1969

King, John, 1925-2014

Ruina, J. P. (Jack P.)

Szilard, Leo

Zwislocki, Jozef J., 1922-

Institutions

Major Positions

Library of Congress.

Chief Engineer, Acoustics and Recording Laboratory.

Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory

Researcher and Group Leader, Manhattan Project.

Manhattan Project (U.S.)

Researcher and Group Leader, Los Alamos Laboratory.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dean of Science; Provost; President; and Institute Professor and Emeritus Professor.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering

Assistant Professor to Professor of Electrical Engineering, and Department Head.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Radiation Laboratory

Researcher.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research Laboratory of Electronics

Assistant Director; Associate Director; and Director.

United States. Office of Science and Technology Policy

Director.

University of Michigan

Associate Director of Broadcasting.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Member.

United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment

Member, Technology Advisory Commission, and Chair, Advisory Council.

United States. President's Science Advisory Committee

Member and Chair and Science Adviser to the President.

United States. Science Advisory Committee

Member.

University of Michigan. Department of Electrical Engineering

Obtained BS (1937), MS (1938), and PhD (1950).

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

Herbert F. York papers, 1958-1999.

Mandeville Special Collections Library

University of California, San Diego

9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA

Jerome and Laya Wiesner's Visit to People's Republic of China, 1974.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Jerome B. Wiesner papers, 1949-1983.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Jerome Wiesner papers, 1961-1963.

John F. Kennedy Library.

Columbia Point, Boston, MA 02125

MIT Office of the President and Chancellor records of the President, Jerome B. Wiesner, 1960-1984.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

MIT Radiation Laboratory oral history collection, 1991.

IEEE History Center

Rutgers University

39 Union Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA

Oral history interview with Jerome B. Wiesner, 1991 June 12.

IEEE History Center

Rutgers University

39 Union Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA

The worlds of Philip Morrison [video and audio recording], 1986.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Subject

Bernard Feld papers, 1943-1990.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Jerrold R. Zacharias papers, 1912-1986.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

M.I.T. School of Science Office of the Dean records, 1951-1983.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Laboratory of Electronics records, 1944-2000.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

MIT Office of the Chairman records, 1934-1987.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

MIT Office of the President and Chancellor records of the Chancellor, Paul E. Gray, 1960-1981.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

MIT Office of the President records of Karl Taylor Compton and James Rhyne Killian, 1930-1959.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

MIT Office of the President records, 1972-1990.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Nicholas E. Golovin papers, 1943-1970 (bulk 1958-1969).

Manuscript Division

Library of Congress

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

Northeast Radio Observatory Corporation records, 1965- .

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Oral history interview with Herbert F. York, 1986 February 7.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Jack P. Ruina, 1991 August 8.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with John G. King, 2009 November 17.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Jozef Zwislocki, 2008 December 8.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Twenty-four minutes to checkmate, [unpublished manuscript] 1953-1957.

Dwight D. Eisenhower Library

Abilene, KS 67410, USA

Published Resources

Author

Jerry Wiesner : scientist, statesman, humanist : memories and memoirs / edited by Walter A. Rosenblith.

Subject

"Jerome Bert Wiesner: 1915-1994", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences

Jerome Bert Wiesner Physics Today obituary.