Martin Wohl (13 July 1930 – 21 July 2009), was a transportation economist. He was born in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

and grew up in the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. During his youth, Wohl worked as a Senate page and was then appointed to the

U.S. Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as commissioned officers in the United States Army. The academy was founded ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

from

North Carolina's 6th congressional district North Carolina's 6th congressional district is a congressional district located in the north central portion of the U.S. state, U.S state of North Carolina. All of Davidson County, North Carolina, Davidson, Davie County, North Carolina, Davie, ...

by Democratic congressman Carl T. Durham. He transferred to the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

and served as a first lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers after graduation. Wohl later received his M.S. degree in civil engineering from MIT in 1960 with a thesis entitled ''Applications of symbolic models and simulation in traffic engineering''. He subsequently earned a doctor of engineering degree from the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

in December 1966 with a thesis entitled ''Development of a rationale for transportation investment''. After completing his master's degree, he became an assistant professor at MIT for two years before moving to Washington D.C., where he worked in the Department of Commerce during the

Kennedy administration John F. Kennedy's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 35th president of the United States began with Inauguration of John F. Kennedy, his inauguration on January 20, 1961, and ended with Assassination of John F. Kennedy, his ...

. After his federal service terminated, Martin became the director of transportation studies at the

Urban Institute The Urban Institute is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank that conducts economic and social policy research to "open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions". The institute receives funding from government contracts, foundations, and p ...

. In 1972, he accepted a faculty position at

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

. Wohl retired in 1990, co-authored five technical books, and wrote more than seventy peer-reviewed journal articles on transportation. He is most recognized for "The Urban Transportation Problem" (1965), the book he co-authored with John R. Meyer and John F. Kain. Martin Wohl got married three times and divorced from all of his wives. He died in 2009 from throat cancer at his home, in

Fairfax, Virginia Fairfax ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia and the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 24,146. Fairfax is pa ...

. He was interred at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

References

External links

Guide to the Martin Wohl papers, 1919-2000s Martin Wohl C0174
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wohl, Martin 1930 births 2009 deaths People from Greensboro, North Carolina United States Military Academy alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Military personnel from North Carolina Military personnel from Washington, D.C. United States Army officers Economists from North Carolina Social scientists from Washington, D.C. 20th-century American economists Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty Kennedy administration personnel UC Berkeley College of Engineering alumni Carnegie Mellon University faculty People from Fairfax, Virginia Deaths from throat cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in Virginia Burials at Arlington National Cemetery