Samuel Wesley Stratton
Encyclopedia
Samuel Wesley Stratton was an administrator in the American government, physicist, and educator.
Stratton was born on farm in Litchfield, Illinois
on July 18, 1861. In his youth he kept farm machinery in repair and worked as a mechanic and carpenter. He worked his way through Illinois Industrial University at Urbana
(later the University of Illinois), receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1884. He became an instructor in mathematics and physics there, organized the department of electrical engineering and became its first head. By 1889 he was Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering. He moved to the University of Chicago
in 1892 as Assistant Professor of Physics, then Associate Professor in 1895 and Professor in 1898.
Stratton served in the Illinois Naval Militia
from 1895, as a Lieutenant in the Navy in the Spanish-American War
, and from 1904 to 1912 served as Commander in charge of the Naval Militia
in the District of Columbia
.
In 1899 he was asked to head the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey's
Office of Weights and Measures, where he developed the plan for the establishment of a bureau of standards. He won the support for his plans from Secretary of the Treasury Lyman J. Gage
and in March 1901, President William McKinley
appointed him the first director of the National Bureau of Standards
. He served until 1923. Under his leadership it grew from 24 to 900 employees scattered over 14 buildings. His operation was designed to recruit recent college graduates, train them, and feed them into private industry and its higher salaries. His team was called "lowest-paid corps of first-rank scientists ever assembled by any government." The Bureau worked hand in glove with industry to undertake research that the private sector required but could not finance itself.
He was awarded the Elliott Cresson Medal
of The Franklin Institute in 1912. In 1917 Stratton was awarded the Public Welfare Medal
from the National Academy of Sciences
.
President Herbert Hoover
used occasion of Stratton's departure from government service as an opportunity to bemoan the low salaries paid to government scientists.
In January 1923 he became the eighth president of M.I.T.
and served for seven years. In his inaugural address he said: "The terms pure and applied science have not the same distinction as formerly. The same men, methods and equipment are involved in getting at the facts, whether they are needed in solving problems in industry or in extending our knowledge of principals. There are few cases of the latter that do not find immediate application." Tying education to industry, he said that industry that had once been slow to seize upon scientific advances was now demanding them. As recounted by Time magazine, "he demonstrated the economic wisdom of generous support for research in pure science. He said that the automotive industry must find a substitute for gasoline, on which the elder Edison commented that the electric storage battery has already filled the bill. Edison looks for all transportation and industry to be electrified."
In 1927, he served as one of three members as an Advisory Committee to Massachusetts Governor Alvan T. Fuller
, along with President Abbott Lawrence Lowell
of Harvard and Probate Judge Robert Grant
. They were tasked with reviewing the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti
to determine whether the trial had been fair. Stratton, the one member who was not a Boston Brahmin, maintained the lowest public profile of the three committee members and hardly spoke during its hearings.
Upon his retirement in 1930 he became the first chairman of the MIT Corporation under a new plan of organization that he had devised. A lifelong bachelor, Stratton belonged to numerous private clubs. The carpentry he learned in his youth remained a lifelong hobby.
France made him a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor
in 1909, and he received honorary degrees from the University of Cambridge
and Yale University
among others.
On October 18, 1931, he died of heart disease at his home in Boston's Back Bay while dictating a tribute to his friend Thomas Edison
, who died earlier in the day.
He is buried at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena, California
.
The Commerce Department’s
National Institute of Standards and Technology
, formerly the National Bureau of Standards, has presented the Samuel Wesley Stratton Award annually since 1962 for outstanding scientific or engineering achievements in support of the objectives of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Note that the Stratton Student Center on the MIT campus is dedicated to a different former president of MIT, Julius Adams Stratton
.
Stratton was born on farm in Litchfield, Illinois
Litchfield, Illinois
Litchfield is a city in Montgomery County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,815 at the 2000 census, and 6,588 in 2009. It is located in south central Illinois, south of Springfield and on the northern edge of the Greater St. Louis Metro-East area.-Attractions:The Ariston Cafe is one of...
on July 18, 1861. In his youth he kept farm machinery in repair and worked as a mechanic and carpenter. He worked his way through Illinois Industrial University at Urbana
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
(later the University of Illinois), receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1884. He became an instructor in mathematics and physics there, organized the department of electrical engineering and became its first head. By 1889 he was Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering. He moved 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...
in 1892 as Assistant Professor of Physics, then Associate Professor in 1895 and Professor in 1898.
Stratton served in the Illinois Naval Militia
Illinois Naval Militia
The Illinois Naval Militia is a state defense force created by the Illinois General Assembly in 1893. In 1896, it had five divisions: three in Chicago, one in Moline, and one in Alton, of approximately 250, 100, and 50 men respectively. At that time, it received $25,000 in federal money...
from 1895, as a Lieutenant in the Navy in the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, and from 1904 to 1912 served as Commander in charge of the Naval Militia
Naval militia
A naval militia in the United States is a reserve military organization administered under the authority of a state government. It is often composed of Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard reservists, retirees and volunteers. They are distinguishable from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, which is a...
in the District of Columbia
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
In 1899 he was asked to head the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey's
U.S. National Geodetic Survey
National Geodetic Survey, formerly called the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey , is a United States federal agency that defines and manages a national coordinate system, providing the foundation for transportation and communication; mapping and charting; and a large number of applications of science...
Office of Weights and Measures, where he developed the plan for the establishment of a bureau of standards. He won the support for his plans from Secretary of the Treasury Lyman J. Gage
Lyman J. Gage
Lyman Judson Gage was an American financier and Presidential Cabinet officer.He was born at DeRuyter, New York, educated at an academy at Rome, New York, and at the age of 17 he became a bank clerk...
and in March 1901, President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
appointed him the first director of the National Bureau of Standards
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
. He served until 1923. Under his leadership it grew from 24 to 900 employees scattered over 14 buildings. His operation was designed to recruit recent college graduates, train them, and feed them into private industry and its higher salaries. His team was called "lowest-paid corps of first-rank scientists ever assembled by any government." The Bureau worked hand in glove with industry to undertake research that the private sector required but could not finance itself.
He was awarded the Elliott Cresson Medal
Elliott Cresson Medal
The Elliott Cresson Medal, also known as the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal, was the highest award given by the Franklin Institute. The award was established by Elliott Cresson, life member of the Franklin Institute, with $1,000 granted in 1848...
of The Franklin Institute in 1912. In 1917 Stratton was awarded the Public Welfare Medal
Public Welfare Medal
The Public Welfare Medal is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences "in recognition of distinguished contributions in the application of science to the public welfare." It is the most prestigious honor conferred by the Academy...
from the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
.
President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
used occasion of Stratton's departure from government service as an opportunity to bemoan the low salaries paid to government scientists.
In January 1923 he became the eighth president of M.I.T.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
and served for seven years. In his inaugural address he said: "The terms pure and applied science have not the same distinction as formerly. The same men, methods and equipment are involved in getting at the facts, whether they are needed in solving problems in industry or in extending our knowledge of principals. There are few cases of the latter that do not find immediate application." Tying education to industry, he said that industry that had once been slow to seize upon scientific advances was now demanding them. As recounted by Time magazine, "he demonstrated the economic wisdom of generous support for research in pure science. He said that the automotive industry must find a substitute for gasoline, on which the elder Edison commented that the electric storage battery has already filled the bill. Edison looks for all transportation and industry to be electrified."
In 1927, he served as one of three members as an Advisory Committee to Massachusetts Governor Alvan T. Fuller
Alvan T. Fuller
Alvan Tufts Fuller was a United States Representative from Massachusetts. He became one of the wealthiest men in America, with an automobile dealership which in 1920 was recognized as "the world's most successful auto dealership." He was elected a member of the Massachusetts House of...
, along with President Abbott Lawrence Lowell
Abbott Lawrence Lowell
Abbott Lawrence Lowell was a U.S. educator and legal scholar. He served as President of Harvard University from 1909 to 1933....
of Harvard and Probate Judge Robert Grant
Robert Grant (novelist)
Robert Grant was an American author and a jurist who participated in a review of the Sacco and Vanzetti trial a few weeks before their executions.-Biography:...
. They were tasked with reviewing the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti
Sacco and Vanzetti
Ferdinando Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were anarchists who were convicted of murdering two men during a 1920 armed robbery in South Braintree, Massachusetts, United States...
to determine whether the trial had been fair. Stratton, the one member who was not a Boston Brahmin, maintained the lowest public profile of the three committee members and hardly spoke during its hearings.
Upon his retirement in 1930 he became the first chairman of the MIT Corporation under a new plan of organization that he had devised. A lifelong bachelor, Stratton belonged to numerous private clubs. The carpentry he learned in his youth remained a lifelong hobby.
France made him a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in 1909, and he received honorary degrees from the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
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...
among others.
On October 18, 1931, he died of heart disease at his home in Boston's Back Bay while dictating a tribute to his friend Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
, who died earlier in the day.
He is buried at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena, California
Altadena, California
Altadena is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California...
.
The Commerce Department’s
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
, formerly the National Bureau of Standards, has presented the Samuel Wesley Stratton Award annually since 1962 for outstanding scientific or engineering achievements in support of the objectives of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Note that the Stratton Student Center on the MIT campus is dedicated to a different former president of MIT, Julius Adams Stratton
Julius Adams Stratton
Julius Adams Stratton was a U.S. electrical engineer and university administrator. He attended the University of Washington for one year, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity, then transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , from which he graduated with a bachelor's...
.
Sources
- New York Times: "Dr. S.W. stratton, Educaor, is Dead," October 19, 1931, accessed Dec 18, 2009
- MIT: "SAMUEL WESLEY STRATTON, 1861-1931", accessed Dec 21, 2009
- MIT: "Stratton: Inaugural Address, accessed Dec. 22, 2009