Biographical Memoirs: Volume 60 (1991)
Chapter: Front Matter
The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by Act of Congress as a private, nonprofit, self-governing membership corporation for the furtherance of science and technology, required to advise the federal government upon request within its fields of competence. Under its corporate charter the Academy established the National Research Council in 1916, the National Academy of Engineering in 1964, and the Institute of Medicine in 1970.
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CONTENTS
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JOSEPH HALL BODINE |
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ARTHUR CLAY COPE |
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PHILIP JACKSON DARLINGTON, JR. |
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JOHN FRANKLIN ENDERS |
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EDWARD CURTIS FRANKLIN |
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SELIG HECHT |
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LIBBIE HENRIETTA HYMAN |
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FRANCIS WHEELER LOOMIS |
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JACOB MARSCHAK |
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DONALD HOWARD MENZEL |
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NATHAN M. NEWMARK |
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LARS ONSAGER |
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ALEXANDER PETRUNKEVITCH |
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KENNETH BRYAN RAPER |
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FRANCIS W. REICHELDERFER |
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WILLIAM JACOB ROBBINS |
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GEORGE GAYLORD SIMPSON |
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OWEN HARDING WANGENSTEEN |
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HENRY STEPHENS WASHINGTON |
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HOWEL WILLIAMS |
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PREFACE
On March 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Act of Incorporation that brought the National Academy of Sciences into being. In accordance with that original charter, the Academy is a private, honorary organization of scientists, elected for outstanding contributions to knowledge, who can be called upon to advise the federal government. As an institution the Academy's goal is to work toward increasing scientific knowledge and to further the use of that knowledge for the general good.
The Biographical Memoirs, begun in 1877, are a series of volumes containing the life histories and selected bibliographies of deceased members of the Academy. Colleagues familiar with the discipline and the subjects' work prepare the essays. These volumes, then, contain a record of the life and work of our most distinguished leaders in the sciences, as witnessed and interpreted by their colleagues and peers. They form a biographical history of science in America—an important part of our nation's contribution to the intellectual heritage of the world.
PETER H. RAVEN
Home Secretary
ELIZABETH J. SHERMAN
Editor
