Arnold Orville Beckman Scientist

Arnold Orville Beckman (April 10, 1900 – May 18, 2004) was an American chemist, inventor, investor, and philanthropist. While a professor at Caltech, he founded Beckman Instruments based on his 1934 invention of the pH meter, a device for measuring acidity, later considered to have "revolutionized the study of chemistry and biology". He also developed the DU spectrophotometer, "probably the most important instrument ever developed towards the advancement of bioscience". Beckman funded the first transistor company, thus giving rise to Silicon Valley. After retirement, he and his wife Mabel (1900-1989) were numbered among the top philanthropists in the United States.

Personal facts

Birth date	April 10, 1900
Birth place	Cullom Illinois
Date of death	May 18, 2004
Place of death	La Jolla
Education	California Institute of Technology University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

Search

Scientist

awards	Public Welfare Medal Tolman Award Presidential Citizens Medal National Medal of Science Franklin Institute National Medal of Technology and Innovation
doctoral advisor	Roscoe G. Dickinson