Edward Morley
| Edward W. Morley | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
January 29, 1838 Newark, New Jersey |
| Died | February 24, 1923 (aged 85) West Hartford, Connecticut |
| Nationality | American |
| Institutions |
Western Reserve College Western Reserve University |
| Alma mater | Williams College |
| Known for | Michelson–Morley experiment |
| Notable awards |
Elliott Cresson Medal (1912) Davy Medal (1907) Willard Gibbs Award (1917) |
Edward Williams Morley (January 29, 1838 – February 24, 1923) was an American scientist famous for his path-breaking measurements of the atomic weight of oxygen, and for the Michelson–Morley experiment.
Morley was born in Newark, New Jersey to Anna Clarissa Treat and the Reverend Sardis Brewster Morley. Both parents were of early colonial ancestry and of purely British origin. Morley grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut. During his childhood, he suffered much from ill health and was therefore educated by his father at home until the age of nineteen.
In 1857, Morley entered Williams College at Williamstown, Massachusetts, his father's alma mater. He graduated in 1860 as A.B., and in 1863 received his master's degree. Around 1860 he gradually shifted his attention from chemistry, which fascinated him since he was child, to optics and astronomy. In 1860–61 he mounted a transit instrument, constructed a chronograph, and made the first accurate determination of the latitude of the college observatory. This determination was the subject of his first published paper, which was read before the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1866.
Upon advice of his parents, Morley entered Andover Theological Seminary in 1861 and completed the course in 1864. It was here, probably, that he acquired a good working knowledge of Hebrew. From 1866 to 1868 he was a teacher in a private school, and later, in 1868, he was called to preach in a small country parish in Ohio. At about the same time, he was appointed professor of chemistry in Western Reserve College (then situated at Hudson, Ohio and later moved to Cleveland and renamed Case Western Reserve University), where he remained until his retirement in 1906. This appointment was the turning point in his career. In 1873 he also became professor of chemistry in Cleveland Medical College, but resigned this chair in 1888 to have more time for research. Just before moving to Hudson he married Miss Imbella A. Birdsall.
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