Arnold O. Beckman
| Arnold Orville Beckman | |
|---|---|
Arnold Beckman, ca. 1921
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| Born |
April 10, 1900 Cullom, Illinois |
| Died | May 18, 2004 (aged 104) La Jolla, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Physical Chemistry |
| Institutions |
Caltech, Beckman Instruments |
| Alma mater |
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, California Institute of Technology |
| Doctoral advisor | Roscoe G. Dickinson |
| Notable awards |
Hoover Medal (1981) Presidential Citizens Medal (1989) Bower Award (1992) Public Welfare Medal (1999) Othmer Gold Medal (2000) |
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 Scientists You Must Know: Arnold O. Beckman, "The fun, the heart of the thing, is in the technical aspects", Chemical Heritage Foundation
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Harry B. Gray, How Arnold O. Beckman's Instrumental Voice Shaped Chemistry's History, Profiles in Chemistry, Chemical Heritage Foundation
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Hoover Medal (1981)
Tolman Award (1985)
Vermilye Medal (1987)
National Medal of Technology (1988)
Arnold Orville Beckman (April 10, 1900 – May 18, 2004) was an American chemist, inventor, investor, and philanthropist. While a professor at California Institute of Technology, he founded Beckman Instruments based on his 1934 invention of the pH meter, a device for measuring acidity, later considered to have "revolutionized the study of chemistry and biology". He also developed the DU spectrophotometer, "probably the most important instrument ever developed towards the advancement of bioscience". Beckman funded the first transistor company, thus giving rise to Silicon Valley. After retirement, he and his wife Mabel (1900-1989) were numbered among the top philanthropists in the United States.
Arnold Orville Beckman was born in Cullom, Illinois, a village of about 500 people in a farming community. He was the youngest son of George Beckman, a blacksmith, and his second wife Elizabeth Ellen Jewkes. He was curious about the world from an early age. When he was nine, Beckman found an old chemistry textbook, Joel Dorman Steele's Fourteen Weeks in Chemistry, and began trying out the experiments. His father encouraged his scientific interests by letting him convert a toolshed into a laboratory.
Beckman's mother, Elizabeth, died of diabetes in 1912. Beckman's father sold his blacksmith shop, and became a travelling salesman for blacksmithing tools and materials. A housekeeper, Hattie Lange, was engaged to look after the Beckman children. Arnold Beckman earned money as a "practice pianist" with a local band, and as an "official cream tester" running a centrifuge for a local store.
In 1914, the Beckman family moved to Normal, located just north of Bloomington, Illinois, so that the young Beckmans could attend University High School in Normal, a "laboratory school" associated with Illinois State University. In 1915 they moved to Bloomington itself, but continued to attend University High, where Arnold Beckman obtained permission to take university level classes from professor of chemistry Howard W. Adams. While still in high school, Arnold started his own business, "Bloomington Research Laboratories", doing analytic chemistry for the local gas company. He also performed at night as a movie-house pianist, and played with local dance bands. He graduated valedictorian of his class, with an average of 89.41 over four years, the highest attained.
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