Frederic de Hoffmann
Encyclopedia
Frederic de Hoffmann was a nuclear physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project
. He came to the United States of America in 1941 and graduated from Harvard in 1944. Upon graduating, de Hoffmann was sent to Los Alamos National Laboratory
where he assisted Edward Teller
in the development of the Hydrogen bomb. Frederic de Hoffmann was an advocate of peaceful atomic energy.
After leaving Los Alamos, de Hoffmann collaborated with Hans Bethe
and Silvan Schweber on a textbook called Mesons and Fields and became chairman of the Committee of Senior Reviewers of the United States Atomic Energy Commission
. He received his Ph.D from Julian Schwinger
in 1948.
Frederic De Hoffmann moved to the General Dynamics Corporation in 1955. That year he was recruited by John Jay Hopkins
to found General Atomic and serve as its first president. This organization's purpose was to manufacture nuclear reactors for energy production, and sell them on the open market. In the late '50s he organized Project Orion
, a plan for a spaceship to be propelled by nuclear bombs.
He helped found the University of California
's campus in San Diego.
De Hoffmann joined the Salk Institute for Biological Studies
in 1970 and served as its president for 18 years. He was also the chairman and chief executive officer of the Salk Institute Biotechnology-Industry Associates Inc. When de Hoffman retired in 1988 he was named the institute's president emeritus. He died in 1989 of AIDS
, which he contracted in 1984 from an infected blood transfusion
he received during surgery.
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
. He came to the United States of America in 1941 and graduated from Harvard in 1944. Upon graduating, de Hoffmann was sent to Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
where he assisted Edward Teller
Edward Teller
Edward Teller was a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist, known colloquially as "the father of the hydrogen bomb," even though he did not care for the title. Teller made numerous contributions to nuclear and molecular physics, spectroscopy , and surface physics...
in the development of the Hydrogen bomb. Frederic de Hoffmann was an advocate of peaceful atomic energy.
After leaving Los Alamos, de Hoffmann collaborated with Hans Bethe
Hans Bethe
Hans Albrecht Bethe was a German-American nuclear physicist, and Nobel laureate in physics for his work on the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis. A versatile theoretical physicist, Bethe also made important contributions to quantum electrodynamics, nuclear physics, solid-state physics and...
and Silvan Schweber on a textbook called Mesons and Fields and became chairman of the Committee of Senior Reviewers of the United States Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
. He received his Ph.D from Julian Schwinger
Julian Schwinger
Julian Seymour Schwinger was an American theoretical physicist. He is best known for his work on the theory of quantum electrodynamics, in particular for developing a relativistically invariant perturbation theory, and for renormalizing QED to one loop order.Schwinger is recognized as one of the...
in 1948.
Frederic De Hoffmann moved to the General Dynamics Corporation in 1955. That year he was recruited by John Jay Hopkins
John Jay Hopkins
John Jay Hopkins was founder and president of General Dynamics from 1952 to 1957.Hopkins was born in Santa Ana, California....
to found General Atomic and serve as its first president. This organization's purpose was to manufacture nuclear reactors for energy production, and sell them on the open market. In the late '50s he organized Project Orion
Project Orion (nuclear propulsion)
Project Orion was a study of a spacecraft intended to be directly propelled by a series of explosions of atomic bombs behind the craft...
, a plan for a spaceship to be propelled by nuclear bombs.
He helped found the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
's campus in San Diego.
De Hoffmann joined the Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a premier independent, non-profit, scientific research institute located in La Jolla, California. It was founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vaccine; among the founding consultants were Jacob Bronowski and Francis Crick. Building...
in 1970 and served as its president for 18 years. He was also the chairman and chief executive officer of the Salk Institute Biotechnology-Industry Associates Inc. When de Hoffman retired in 1988 he was named the institute's president emeritus. He died in 1989 of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, which he contracted in 1984 from an infected blood transfusion
Blood transfusion
Blood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
he received during surgery.