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John G. Trump

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"John Trump" redirects here. For the British engineer, see John Trump (engineer).

John George Trump (August 21, 1907 – February 21, 1985) was an American electrical engineer, inventor, and physicist. A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1936 to 1985, he was a recipient of the National Medal of Science and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.[3][4][5] Trump was noted for developing rotational radiation therapy.[3] Together with Robert J. Van de Graaff, he developed one of the first million-volt X-ray generators.[6] He was the uncle of Donald Trump.[7]

John G. Trump
Born
John George Trump

(1907-08-21)August 21, 1907
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedFebruary 21, 1985(1985-02-21) (aged 77)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationNew York University (BS)
Columbia University (MS)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (DSc)
Occupation(s)Physicist, electrical engineer, inventor
EmployerMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Known forVan de Graaff generator
Electron beam sterilization of wastewater[1][2]
SpouseElora Sauerbrun
Children
  • John
  • Christine
  • Karen
Parent(s)Frederick Trump
Elizabeth Christ Trump
RelativesTrump family
AwardsKing's Medal for Service (1947)
President's Certificate (1948)
Lamme Medal (1960)
National Medal of Science (1983)
Signature

Early life and education

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Trump was born in 1907, the youngest of three children of German immigrants Frederick and Elizabeth Christ Trump.

His brother, Fred, joined their mother in real estate development and management while still in his teens (Elizabeth Trump & Son). Initially, John and his brother tried working together building houses, but ultimately they dissolved their partnership, and John pursued a career in electrical engineering.[citation needed]

Trump received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute in 1929, his master's degree in physics from Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and his doctorate of electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Engineering (MIT) in 1933.

War service

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During World War II, Trump switched from work on hospital X-ray machines to research into similar technologies, especially the development of radar. During 1940, he joined the newly formed National Defense Research Committee (NDRC), as technical aide to Karl Compton, president of MIT, who was serving also as the chairman of the radar division within the NDRC.[6]

During 1942, Trump became secretary of the microwave committee, a sub-committee of the NDRC. The director of the microwave committee was Alfred Lee Loomis, the "millionaire physicist", who decided to create a laboratory. He selected a site for it, chose a suitably discreet and ambiguous name for it, and funded its construction, until governmental administration was established. The new institution came to be called the MIT Radiation Laboratory, or the "Rad Lab". As wartime shortages in Britain increased, many of its radar researchers would move to the well-funded laboratory at MIT, where they helped create groundbreaking progress in developing practical devices and systems, which would see widespread field deployment in combat.

The British had already started researching radar, which they termed Radio Direction Finder (RDF). Their Tizard Mission to the US showed how much more advanced they were with some of the key technologies, particularly the magnetron. The US decided to send a team to Britain to help coordinate their efforts with the "British Branch of the Radiation Laboratory" (BBRL), which operated as a department of Britain's Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE) at Malvern, in Worcestershire. From February 1944 to the end of the war in Europe, Trump was the director of the BBRL.[8]

In early 1943, two days after the death of Nikola Tesla, the Federal Bureau of Investigation ordered the Office of Alien Property Custodian to seize Tesla's belongings.[9] Trump was called in to analyze the Tesla artifacts, which were being held in government custody.[9] After a three-day investigation, Trump's report concluded that none of the artifacts would constitute a hazard in unfriendly hands.[10]

During the war, Trump also served in the Advisory Specialist Group on Radar, advising USAAF General Carl Spaatz on navigational radar, precision-bombing radar, and also defenses against the German radars found in their night-fighters and in their flak units. The systems included: Gee, Oboe, LORAN, H2X, MEW & SCR-584. Trump worked with all the most important British radar experts, including Sir Robert Watson-Watt, A.P. Rowe, and Bernard Lovell. At the end of the war, Trump also conducted debriefing interviews with Germany's main radar technicians.[11][12] Trump received recognition for his war-work partnership from both the United States and the United Kingdom.[13][14][3]

Post-war career

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In 1946, Trump, Robert J. Van de Graaff, and Denis M. Robinson initiated the High Voltage Engineering Corporation (HVE) to produce Van de Graaff generators.[3] While Trump was not a businessman like his brother and nephew, he apparently shared their real estate expertise; Robinson said that land he persuaded HVE to purchase on Massachusetts Route 128 became as valuable as many years of the company's profits.[7]

Trump returned to MIT to teach and direct research for three decades after the war. He directed the MIT High Voltage Research Laboratory from 1946 to 1980.[citation needed] Some of his research at MIT concentrated on treating wastewater. He researched using an electron beam from a high voltage accelerator as the deactivating agent in the treatment of municipal wastewater sludge. The High Voltage Research Laboratory developed a prototype system that was tested at one of Boston's wastewater treatment plants, and it was able to provide bacterial and viral disinfection via continuous on-line treatment.[15]

Trump died in Boston on February 21, 1985.[16]

The National Academy of Engineering described John Trump as "a pioneer in the scientific, engineering and medical applications of high voltage machinery".[4] James Melcher, Trump's lab director, is quoted as saying: "John, over a period of three decades, would be approached by people of all sorts because he could make megavolt beams of ions and electrons – death rays... What did he do with it? Cancer research, sterilizing sludge out in Deer Island [a waste disposal facility], all sorts of wondrous things. He didn't touch the weapons stuff."[17]

Although Donald Trump has frequently claimed his uncle was the longest serving professor in the history of MIT, that is not correct.[18]

Personal life

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John G. Trump was a member of the Trump family. He married Elora Sauerbrun (1913–1983), and they had three children: John Gordon Trump (1938–2012) of Watertown, Massachusetts; Christine Philp (1942–2021) of New London, New Hampshire; and Karen Ingraham of Los Alamos, New Mexico; and six grandchildren.[3][19]

Awards and honors

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Trump received a number of awards including:

References

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  1. ^ "Sewage Problem Solved". Spokane Daily Chronicle. May 21, 1977. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  2. ^ US 2123728  "High Energy Electron Treatment of Water" of Dr. John G. Trump, requested by High Voltage Engineering Corp
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "JOHN TRUMP DIES - ENGINEER WAS 78". The New York Times. February 26, 1985. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  4. ^ a b National Academy of Engineering (1989). "John George Trump". Memorial Tributes, Volume 3. The National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/1384. ISBN 978-0-309-03939-0. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  5. ^ "The President's National Medal of Science: Recipient Details". National Science Foundation. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "J. G. Trump". Engineering and Technology History Wiki. January 29, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Thomas, William (October 19, 2018). "A profile of John Trump, Donald's oft-mentioned scientist uncle". Physics Today. doi:10.1063/PT.6.4.20181019a. S2CID 240036168. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023.
  8. ^ "Private Papers of Dr J G Trump (Documents.4461)". Imperial War Museum. February 22, 1999. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Nikola Tesla Timeline". Tesla Universe. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  10. ^ "Tesla: The Missing Papers". PBS. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  11. ^ "Private Papers of Dr J G Trump". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  12. ^ Thomas, William (April 10, 2015). Rational Action: The Sciences of Policy in Britain and America, 1940-1960. MIT Press. ISBN 9780262028509.
  13. ^ "John George Trump 1907-1985". NAE Website. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  14. ^ Hazen, Harold L. & Tucker, Carlton E. (October 1949). "School of Engineering - Electrical Engineering" (PDF). Massachusetts Institute of Technology Bulletin: President's Report Issue. 85 (1): 123. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 4, 2023.
  15. ^ "Collection: John G. Trump papers". MIT ArchivesSpace. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  16. ^ "Eric Dubois: Academic Genealogy". uOttawa. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  17. ^ "Scientists Who Have Said No" (PDF). Science for the People. 20 (January/February 1988): 25. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  18. ^ Norton, Tom (January 30, 2024). "Fact Check: Trump Claims His Uncle Was 'Longest Serving Professor' at MIT". Newsweek. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  19. ^ "John Gordon Trump". Legacy.com. The Boston Globe. September 27, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
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