Martin Hewitt
Encyclopedia
Marvin Hewitt was an American
impostor
who became, among other things, a university physics
professor.
Hewitt was a high school
drop-out with no qualifications who wanted to become an academic. He always used names and identities of real-life people in his impostures. He later claimed that he had a "compulsion to teach".
Hewitt's first imposture began in 1945 when he selected a famous name from a list of university teachers and used it to apply for a position of an aerodynamic engineer. However, the name was too recognizable and he was soon exposed.
The next identity Hewitt adopted was that of Julius Ashkin, a physics professor. He applied and was accepted first into a pharmacological college in Philadelphia and the next year into teacher's college in Minnesota
. When he began to gain academic fame, the real Ashkin wrote him to suggest that he stop.
Hewitt proceeded to adopt the persona of Georg Hewitt, former chief researcher of Radio Corporation of America. When he was found out, he switched to that of philosophy professor Clifford Berry.
At 1954 Hewitt was on his fifth teaching job as Dr. Kenneth Yates, an associate professor of physics at the University of New Hampshire
. At that stage two other colleges had discovered that his credentials were false when they noticed that the real Kenneth Yates was currently working for an oil company. They had only removed him from the faculty and the university authorities had decided to let him leave quietly when the details leaked out.
The president of the university, Dr. Robert F. Chandler, had described Hewitt as good physicist with talent for teaching. Officially he was not fired for incompetence but because he had misrepresented his qualifications. He received support from previous and current colleagues who showered praises on him. The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
and the British Admiralty approached him.
Hewitt decided to withdraw from the public glare and at least has not been heard of since.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
impostor
Impostor
An impostor or imposter is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but just as often for purposes of espionage or law enforcement....
who became, among other things, a university physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
professor.
Hewitt was a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
drop-out with no qualifications who wanted to become an academic. He always used names and identities of real-life people in his impostures. He later claimed that he had a "compulsion to teach".
Hewitt's first imposture began in 1945 when he selected a famous name from a list of university teachers and used it to apply for a position of an aerodynamic engineer. However, the name was too recognizable and he was soon exposed.
The next identity Hewitt adopted was that of Julius Ashkin, a physics professor. He applied and was accepted first into a pharmacological college in Philadelphia and the next year into teacher's college in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. When he began to gain academic fame, the real Ashkin wrote him to suggest that he stop.
Hewitt proceeded to adopt the persona of Georg Hewitt, former chief researcher of Radio Corporation of America. When he was found out, he switched to that of philosophy professor Clifford Berry.
At 1954 Hewitt was on his fifth teaching job as Dr. Kenneth Yates, an associate professor of physics at the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
. At that stage two other colleges had discovered that his credentials were false when they noticed that the real Kenneth Yates was currently working for an oil company. They had only removed him from the faculty and the university authorities had decided to let him leave quietly when the details leaked out.
The president of the university, Dr. Robert F. Chandler, had described Hewitt as good physicist with talent for teaching. Officially he was not fired for incompetence but because he had misrepresented his qualifications. He received support from previous and current colleagues who showered praises on him. The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
and the British Admiralty approached him.
Hewitt decided to withdraw from the public glare and at least has not been heard of since.