Comfort Avery Adams (November 1, 1868 – February 21, 1958) was an American

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

who as a student helped Albert A. Michelson with the

Michelson–Morley experiment The Michelson–Morley experiment was an attempt to measure the motion of the Earth relative to the luminiferous aether, a supposed medium permeating space that was thought to be the carrier of light waves. The experiment was performed between ...

(1887), which was later viewed as confirming the special relativity theory of

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

(1905). He was a recipient of the

IEEE Edison Medal The IEEE Edison Medal is presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) "for a career of meritorious achievement in electrical science, electrical engineering, or the electrical arts." It is the oldest medal in this fi ...

and AIEE Lamme Medal.

Biography

Adams was born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

to Comfort Avery Adams Sr. and Katherine Emily Peticolas on November 1, 1868. "Doc Adams", as he was commonly addressed by his colleagues and friends, received his Honorary Doctorate of Engineering from his alma mater, Case School of Applied Science, in 1925 after having been on the faculty at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

and dean of their engineering school for almost 35 years. He later received his second honorary doctorate from

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

in 1939. By that time he had retired from Harvard. In terms of an all-around American engineer in the early 20th century, Comfort A. Adams comes the closest to being America's answer to Britain's I. K. Brunel. Adams was president of the

American Institute of Electrical Engineers The American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) was a United States–based organization of electrical engineers that existed from 1884 through 1962. On January 1, 1963, it merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) to form the Inst ...

and the

American Welding Society The American Welding Society (AWS) was founded in 1919 as a non-profit organization to advance the science, technology and application of welding and allied joining and cutting processes, including brazing, soldering and thermal spraying. Headq ...

. He organized and chaired the Welding Research Council. Adams married Elizabeth Chassis Parsons in 1894, and they adopted two children. Adams died at his home in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

on February 21, 1958.

Honors and awards

*Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

(1906) *Honorary Doctor of Engineering from Case School of Applied Science 1925 *Honorary Doctor of Engineering from

(1939) * Lamme Medalist of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (1940) *IEEE Edison Medal (1956) *Delivered the first of the series of Adams Lectures founded in his honor by the American Welding Society *Samuel Wylie Miller Medal of the American Welding Society (first recipient) *Long-time member of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Committee, then Honorary Member *Honorary Member of the International Acetylene Association *Member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

Memberships

*American Institute of Electrical Engineers *

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing edu ...

American Society of Civil Engineers The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is a tax-exempt professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, it is the oldest national engineering soci ...

American Standards Association The American National Standards Institute (ANSI ) is a private nonprofit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organiz ...

*American Engineering Council * American Society for Metals *

American Society for Testing and Materials American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

*Society for Promotion of Engineering Education *

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...

* British Institute of Electrical Engineering * Verband Deutscher Electrotechniker *Société Française des Electriciens *

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is an international non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a faculty member and graduate students in 1886 and is one of the oldest ...

Tau Beta Pi The Tau Beta Pi Association (commonly Tau Beta Pi, , or TBP) is the oldest engineering honor society and the second oldest collegiate honor society in the United States. It honors engineering students in American universities who have shown a ...

Club memberships

*Harvard Faculty Club, Cambridge, Massachusetts *Engineers Club, New York *Engineers' Club of Philadelphia *Cedarbrook Country Club, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania

References

External links

BiographyNational Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Comfort A. 1868 births 1958 deaths American electrical engineers Scientists from Cleveland IEEE Edison Medal recipients Case Western Reserve University alumni Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences faculty Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Presidents of the IEEE IEEE Lamme Medal recipients Engineers from Ohio