John Gamble Kirkwood
Encyclopedia
John "Jack" Gamble Kirkwood (May 30, 1907, Gotebo, Oklahoma
— August 9, 1959, New Haven, Connecticut
) was a noted chemist
and physicist
, holding faculty
positions at Cornell University
, the University of Chicago
, California Institute of Technology
, and Yale University
.
, the oldest child of John Millard and Lillian Gamble Kirkwood. His father was educated as an attorney
and worked as a distributor for the Goodyear Corporation
. In addition to Jack Kirkwood, there were two younger sisters: Caroline and Margaret.
In 1909, the family moved to Wichita, Kansas
.
to enroll at Caltech before finishing his high school education. He attended Caltech for two years before transferring to the University of Chicago
, where he was awarded his Bachelor of Science
in 1926.
in 1926, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from MIT in 1929, where he worked with Frederick Keyes. He spent two years in Europe, where he worked with Peter Debye
and visited Arnold Sommerfeld
.
He returned to MIT for the period 1932-1934 as a Research Associate in Physical Chemistry. There, with Frederick Keyes, he mentored Herbert H. Uhlig
, who subsequently became a noted physical chemist, specializing in the study of corrosion. Kirkwood won the 1936 Langmuir Award in recognition of his status as the best young chemist in the United States.
Gotebo, Oklahoma
Gotebo is a town in Kiowa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 226 at the 2010 census.The town is named after the notable Kiowa Indian named Gotebo .-Geography:Gotebo is located at ....
— August 9, 1959, New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
) was a noted chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, holding faculty
Faculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...
positions at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
Early life and background
Kirkwood was born in Gotebo, OklahomaGotebo, Oklahoma
Gotebo is a town in Kiowa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 226 at the 2010 census.The town is named after the notable Kiowa Indian named Gotebo .-Geography:Gotebo is located at ....
, the oldest child of John Millard and Lillian Gamble Kirkwood. His father was educated as an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and worked as a distributor for the Goodyear Corporation
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....
. In addition to Jack Kirkwood, there were two younger sisters: Caroline and Margaret.
In 1909, the family moved to Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
.
Education
Showing remarkable talent in mathematics and physics, Kirkwood was persuaded by A. A. NoyesArthur Amos Noyes
Arthur Amos Noyes was a U.S. chemist and educator. He served as the acting president of MIT between 1907 and 1909. He received a PhD. in 1890 at Leipzig under the guidance of Wilhelm Ostwald. Roscoe Gilkey Dickinson was one of his famous students. Noyes served as Professor of Chemistry at the...
to enroll at Caltech before finishing his high school education. He attended Caltech for two years before transferring to the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he was awarded his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in 1926.
Academic career
Kirkwood received an S.B. in Physics from the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1926, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from MIT in 1929, where he worked with Frederick Keyes. He spent two years in Europe, where he worked with Peter Debye
Peter Debye
Peter Joseph William Debye FRS was a Dutch physicist and physical chemist, and Nobel laureate in Chemistry.-Early life:...
and visited Arnold Sommerfeld
Arnold Sommerfeld
Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld was a German theoretical physicist who pioneered developments in atomic and quantum physics, and also educated and groomed a large number of students for the new era of theoretical physics...
.
He returned to MIT for the period 1932-1934 as a Research Associate in Physical Chemistry. There, with Frederick Keyes, he mentored Herbert H. Uhlig
Herbert H. Uhlig
Herbert H. Uhlig was an American physical chemist who studied corrosion. He received his B.S. in chemistry from Brown University in 1929 and his Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1932 from MIT under John Kirkwood and...
, who subsequently became a noted physical chemist, specializing in the study of corrosion. Kirkwood won the 1936 Langmuir Award in recognition of his status as the best young chemist in the United States.