Electrical engineer, inventor, and philanthropist, born in Cullom, Illinois, USA. He worked as a Bell Telephone research engineer and taught at the California Institute of Technology before establishing his own firm, Beckman Instruments, to produce scientific instruments of his own invention. His quartz spectrophotometer made automatic chemical analysis possible. His company developed a long line of products used in medicine, space exploration, and other fields. The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation contributes to the advancement of scientific research.
Arnold Orville Beckman| Born |
10 April 1900 Cullom, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Died |
18 May 2004 La Jolla, California |
| Field | Physical Chemistry |
| Institution |
Caltech, Beckman Instruments |
| Alma Mater |
Illinois, Caltech |
| Doctoral Advisor | Roscoe G. Dickinson |
| Notable Prizes |
National Medal of Technology (1988)
National Medal of Science (1989) |
Arnold Orville Beckman (April 10, 1900 – May 18, 2004) was an American chemist who founded Beckman Instruments based on his invention of the pH meter, a device for measuring acidity, in 1934.
Early life
Beckman was born in Cullom, Illinois on April 10, 1900, the son of a blacksmith.
World War I was still raging when Beckman turned 18, and so in August of 1918, he enlisted in the United States Marines.
Education
Beckman attended the University of Illinois, where he earned his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1922 and his master's degree in physical chemistry in 1923.
Having a choice between the University of Chicago, MIT and Caltech, Beckman decided that the Golden State was for him, and decided to go to Caltech for his doctorate.
At Western Electric, Beckman developed quality control programs for the manufacture of vacuum tubes and learned about circuit design.
Beckman married Mabel on 10 June 1925. The following year, the couple moved back to California and Beckman resumed his studies at Caltech. After receiving his doctorate in 1928, Beckman was asked to stay on at Caltech as an instructor and then as a professor.
pH Meter
Beckman's interest in electronics made him very popular within the chemistry department, as he was very skilled in building measuring instruments. With the blessing of Robert Millikan, Caltech's president, Beckman began accepting outside consulting work.
Beckman invented the pH meter in 1935.
Transistor
In 1955, Beckman established the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory to fund William Shockley's research into semiconductor technology.
During his later years, Beckman lived in Corona del Mar near Newport Beach, California. He is the namesake of The Beckman Institute and the Beckman Quadrangle at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Beckman and his family also sponsored the creation of the Arnold O.
Dr. Beckman's history and the unique Heritage Center is located at the Beckman Coulter headquarters in Fullerton, California.
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