George Washington Pierce
| George Washington Pierce | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 11, 1872 Webberville, Texas |
| Died | August 25, 1956 (aged 84) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Known for | Pierce oscillator |
| Awards |
IEEE Medal of Honor(1929) Franklin Medal (1943) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | Harvard University |
| Doctoral advisor | John Trowbridge |
| Doctoral students | Emory Leon Chaffee |
George Washington Pierce (January 11, 1872 – August 25, 1956) was an American physicist. He was a professor of physics at Harvard University and inventor in the development of electronic telecommunications.
The son of a Texas cattle rancher, he distinguished himself in school at Taylor and in the University of Texas before beginning his enduring relationship with Harvard in 1898. He wrote three innovative texts, many learned papers, and was assigned 53 patents. The most notable is the single-stage crystal oscillator circuit, which became the touchstone of the electronics communication art. Süsskind says that he was "an exceedingly warm and droll individual, much revered by his students."
G. W. Pierce was born January 11, 1872, in Webberville, Texas. He frequently recalled in later life “drawing water with leaky buckets from deep wells for thirsty mules” as a prod that motivated his intensity in study. At the University of Texas he had Alexander Macfarlane as teacher and mentor: they co-authored a paper for the first volume of the Physical Review. He taught at Dallas High School (1896-7) and worked in the clerk’s office of the Bastrop County Court before winning his 1898 scholarship to Harvard. With a thesis on measurement of wavelength of shortwaves he gained the Ph.D. in 1900. After a European study-tour that included some exposure to Ludwig Boltzmann, he was invited to begin instructing at Harvard. He was instrumental in forming the Wicht Club (1903–1911), a peer-group dedicated to continuing their learning even though teaching.
G. W. Pierce was the middle son of three. He shared his name with his father, but there seems to have been no use of the traditional Sr. and Jr. appendages. In 1904 he married Florence Goodwin of Saxonville, Massachusetts. Though they produced no offspring, they enjoyed some family life with Cornelia and Walter Cannon, a Harvard Medical School physiologist, who drew the Pierces to Franklin, New Hampshire. For example, Cornelia introduced George to portrait, landscape, and abstract painting. This medium became a strong method of expression for him. After Florence died in 1945, Pierce found a second companionship with Helen Russell of Sanbornton, New Hampshire. His first sign of faltering health came with a minor stroke in 1945, but he carried on until a series of major strokes killed him about a decade later. He died on August 25, 1956.
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