Bush, Vannevar
Published: August 23, 2008, 2:32 pm
Updated: August 23, 2008, 2:32 pm
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Tom Lawrence Vannevar Bush was born on 11 March 1890 in Everett, Massachusetts to Richard Perry and Emma Linwood (Paine) Bush. He graduated from Tufts College with a B.S. in 1913. In September 1916 he married Phoebe Davis in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He earned a joint doctorate in engineering from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1917. In 1919 he returned to MIT to become a professor (1923-32) and vice president and dean of engineering (1932-38). He was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) in 1924. During this period he devised a network analyzer to simulate the performance of large electrical networks. He is best known for his design of the differential analyzer, an analog computer that could solve differential equations with as many as 18 independent variables. From 1939 until 1955 he was president of the Carnegie Institution, Washington, D.C.
From 1941 to 1945 he was also the director of the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), where he administered the U.S. war effort to utilize and advance military technology. He personally advised President Roosevelt on technological matters and organizing the nation´s academic researchers to attack military problems. He directed such programs as the development of the first atomic bomb, the perfection of radar, and the mass production of sulfa drugs and penicillin. In 1955 he returned to MIT, retiring in 1971. From 1957 to 1962 he was Chairman of Merck and Co., the large pharmaceutical company, based in New Jersey. He received numerous honors including the Lamme Medal from the AIEE (1935), and the AIEE Edison Medal in 1943 "For his contribution to the advancement of electrical engineering, particularly through the development of new applications in mathematics to engineering problems, and for his eminent service to the nation in guiding the war research programs." He was awarded the National Medal of Science, presented by President Lyndon B. Johnson in January 1964.
Bush wrote Endless Horizons (1946) and Modern Arms and Free Men (1949), although he is probably best known for his July 1945 article, As We May Think. He passed away on 28 June 1974 in Belmont, MA.
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Citation
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author);Tom Lawrence (Topic Editor) "Bush, Vannevar". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 23, 2008; Last revised Date August 23, 2008; Retrieved May 21, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Bush,_Vannevar>
The Authors
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) is a non-profit organization that is recognized as one of the world's leading professional associations for the advancement of technology. The IEEE is a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics, among others. It publishes nearly a third of the world's technical literature in electrical engineering, comput ... (Full Bio)
Cutler J. Cleveland is Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University, where he also is on the faculty of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. Professor Cleveland is Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Energy (Elsevier, 2004), winner of an American Library Association award, the Dictionary of Energy (Elsevier, 2005), Handbook of Energy (Elsevier, forthcoming), and is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. He is the recipient of the Adelma ... (Full Bio)
Vannevar Bush was born on 11 March 1890 in Everett, Massachusetts to Richard Perry and Emma Linwood (Paine) Bush. He graduated from Tufts College with a B.S. in 1913. In September 1916 he married Phoebe Davis in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He earned a joint doctorate in engineering from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1917. In 1919 he returned to MIT to become a professor (1923-32) and vice president and dean of engineering (1932-38). He was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) in 1924. During this period he devised a network analyzer to simulate the performance of large electrical networks. He is best known for his design of the differential analyzer, an analog computer that could solve differential equations with as many as 18 independent variables. From 1939 until 1955 he was president of the Carnegie Institution, Washington, D.C.
From 1941 to 1945 he was also the director of the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), where he administered the U.S. war effort to utilize and advance military technology. He personally advised President Roosevelt on technological matters and organizing the nation´s academic researchers to attack military problems. He directed such programs as the development of the first atomic bomb, the perfection of radar, and the mass production of sulfa drugs and penicillin. In 1955 he returned to MIT, retiring in 1971. From 1957 to 1962 he was Chairman of Merck and Co., the large pharmaceutical company, based in New Jersey. He received numerous honors including the Lamme Medal from the AIEE (1935), and the AIEE Edison Medal in 1943 "For his contribution to the advancement of electrical engineering, particularly through the development of new applications in mathematics to engineering problems, and for his eminent service to the nation in guiding the war research programs." He was awarded the National Medal of Science, presented by President Lyndon B. Johnson in January 1964.
Bush wrote Endless Horizons (1946) and Modern Arms and Free Men (1949), although he is probably best known for his July 1945 article, As We May Think. He passed away on 28 June 1974 in Belmont, MA.
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Disclaimer:
This article is taken wholly from, or contains information that was originally published by, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.. Topic editors and authors for the Encyclopedia of Earth may have edited its content or added new information. The use of information from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. should not be construed as support for or endorsement by that organization for any new information added by EoE personnel, or for any editing of the original content.
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Vannevar Bush. (Source: IEEE History Center)
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