Theodore Dunham Jr. (December 17, 1897 – April 3, 1984) was an American astronomer and physicist. He was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, the first-born son of Theodore Dunham, a surgeon, and Josephine Balestier. He was educated at the private schools

St. Bernard's School St. Bernard's School, founded in 1904 by John Card Jenkins,www.stbernards.org
- the school's website

and

Browning School The Browning School is an independent school for boys in New York City. It was founded in 1888 by John A. Browning. It offers instruction in grades kindergarten through 12th grade. The school is a member of the New York Interschool consortium. ...

, both in New York. At

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

he studied chemistry and graduated ''

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

'' in 1921 with an

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four ye ...

His graduate work was at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...

, where he was awarded his M.D. in 1925. He then studied physics at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the n ...

, earning an A.M. in 1926 and a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in 1927. He was married to Miriam Phillips Thompson in 1926, and the couple had two children. In 1928 he joined the staff of

Mount Wilson Observatory The Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles. The observ ...

, where he remained until 1947. In 1932, together with

Walter S. Adams Walter Sydney Adams (December 20, 1876 – May 11, 1956) was an American astronomer. Life and work Adams was born in Antioch, Turkey, to Lucien Harper Adams and Nancy Dorrance Francis Adams, missionary parents, and was brought to the U.S. in ...

, they discovered that the atmosphere of Venus contained

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is t ...

under high pressure. Two years later in 1934, the two found that the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere of Mars was less than one percent of the amount over a comparable area on Earth. In 1936 he became the Scientific Director of the Fund for Astrophysical Research, and he held that position for the remainder of his life. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

he served in the

Office of Scientific Research and Development The Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) was an agency of the United States federal government created to coordinate scientific research for military purposes during World War II. Arrangements were made for its creation during May ...

, where he was Chief of the Optical Instrument Section. Beginning in 1946, he performed medical research into the application of physical methods. He was at the Harvard Medical School until 1948 as a Warren Fellow in Surgery, before moving to University of Rochester. Between 1948 and 1957 he developed tools that could be used for spectrophotometric analysis of locations within a biological cell. He joined the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

faculty in 1957. He became a senior research fellow at the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College (University of Tasmania), Christ College, one of the unive ...

in 1965, before returning to the United States in 1970. There he rejoined the

Harvard College Observatory The Harvard College Observatory (HCO) is an institution managing a complex of buildings and multiple instruments used for astronomical research by the Harvard University Department of Astronomy. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United S ...

. He died at his home in

Chocorua, New Hampshire Chocorua is an unincorporated community within the town of Tamworth in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. It is located in the general area where Routes 16 and 113 meet, south of Mount Chocorua and Chocorua Lake. Mount Chocorua is c ...

. In his honor, the Fund for Astrophysical Research makes annual Theodore Dunham, Jr. Grants for Research in Astronomy.

References

External links

Oral history interview transcript with Theodore Dunham on 30 April 1977, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
- Session I
Oral history interview transcript with Theodore Dunham on 14 April 1978, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
- Session II {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunham Jr., Theodore American astronomers 1897 births 1984 deaths Weill Cornell Medical College alumni Harvard College alumni 20th-century American physicists St. Bernard's School alumni Scientists from New York (state) Browning School alumni Fellows of the American Physical Society