Warren Elliot Henry
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Warren Elliot Henry (February 18, 1909 – October 31, 2001) was an American physicist, a Fellow of the
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 ...
, and the
American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
for his work in the fields of
magnetism Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that occur through a magnetic field, which allows objects to attract or repel each other. Because both electric currents and magnetic moments of elementary particles give rise to a magnetic field, ...
and
superconductivity Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in superconductors: materials where Electrical resistance and conductance, electrical resistance vanishes and Magnetic field, magnetic fields are expelled from the material. Unlike an ord ...
. He made significant contributions to the advancement of science and technology and education, training and mentoring several generations of physicists.


Early life and education

Henry was born in Evergreen, Alabama in 1909. Henry attended
Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a Private university, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was f ...
, as his parents had done. He completed majors in mathematics, English, and French, and minors in chemistry, physics, and German. He graduated in 1931 with a Bachelor of Science and as valedictorian of his class.Physicists of the African Diaspora: Warren Henry
Prior to continuing his studies, he served as a school principal at a segregated school in
Atmore, Alabama Atmore is a city in Escambia County, Alabama, United States. The population was 8,391 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated on May 9, 1907. The Atmore Commercial Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Th ...
. Henry earned a Master of Science degree in organic chemistry from
Atlanta University Clark Atlanta University (CAU or Clark Atlanta) is a private, Methodist, historically black research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded on September19, 1865, as Atlanta University, it was the first HBCU in the Southe ...
in 1937. While working towards his graduate degree, he taught classes at
Spelman College Spelman College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia ...
and
Morehouse College Morehouse College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Men's colleges in the United States, men's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, ...
. He received a PhD in Physical Chemistry and Physics from the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
in 1941, with Dr. T.F. Young as an advisor, and graduated as the only Black person to receive the degree in his cohort of five candidates.Warren Elliot Henry: Professional Career Highlights
at Howard University Library
His thesis was titled "I. resistance Thermometry and II. An Experimental Investigation of the Possibility of Using Alternating Current Techniques in the Measurement of Small Temperature Differences."


Professional life

After graduating, in the fall of 1941 Henry returned to Tuskegee Institute where he taught courses. Some of his students were the 99th Pursuit Squadron, part of the
Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of th ...
. From 1943 to 1946, Henry found a position at
MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
's
Radiation Laboratory The Radiation Laboratory, commonly called the Rad Lab, was a microwave and radar research laboratory located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was first created in October 1940 and operated until 3 ...
. Following that, he worked in a postdoctoral position with
Clarence Zener Clarence Melvin Zener ( ; December 1, 1905 – July 2, 1993) was an American physicist who in 1934 was the first to describe the property concerning the breakdown of electrical insulators. These findings were later exploited by Bell Labs in the ...
at the Institute for the Study of Metals at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
. Following this, he returned to Morehouse University as acting head of its physics department. Henry later worked as a physicist at the
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Located in Washington, DC, it was founded in 1923 and conducts basic scientific research, appl ...
from 1948–1960. During this time he invented a metal dewar for liquid helium, and a magnetic moment lift for moving samples in and out of a magnetic field. With Robert Hein, Henry established in 1957 that uranium is a semiconductor. Henry worked as senior staff scientist and senior staff engineer at Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. from 1960-1969. He developed fiber-optic devices for missile and submarine detection, and helped design the YO 3A, a night surveillance airplane used for night fighting. During his time at Lockheed, he also performed experiments on
magnetic susceptibility In electromagnetism, the magnetic susceptibility (; denoted , chi) is a measure of how much a material will become magnetized in an applied magnetic field. It is the ratio of magnetization (magnetic moment per unit volume) to the applied magnet ...
at the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
and worked with
Glenn Seaborg Glenn Theodore Seaborg ( ; April 19, 1912February 25, 1999) was an American chemist whose involvement in the synthesis, discovery and investigation of ten transuranium elements earned him a share of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His work i ...
. He then worked as a professor of physics at
Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...
, beginning as a visiting professor in 1968 and becoming full-time in 1969. He authored dozens of scientific articles.Warren Elliot Henry: His work
, listing publications at
Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...
site
Henry formally retired in 1977, but he continued to devote his time to research and encouraging and helping new generations of scientists . He travelled worldwide giving talks and presentations and worked for years with the Minorities Access to Research Careers (MARC) program, established in 1975 by the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences. Henry founded the Committee on Minorities in Physics of the
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 ...
and was an early leader of the
National Society of Black Physicists The National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP), established in the United States in 1977, is a non-profit professional organization with the goal to promote the professional well-being of African Diaspora physicists and physics students within the ...
. In an obituary written on November 10, 2001, the ''New York Times'' states "Dr. Henry studied under a number of Nobel Prize winners: Dr. Arthur H. Compton, the 1927 winner in physics, taught him
quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical Scientific theory, theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms. Reprinted, Addison-Wesley, 1989, It is ...
; Dr.
Wolfgang Pauli Wolfgang Ernst Pauli ( ; ; 25 April 1900 – 15 December 1958) was an Austrian theoretical physicist and a pioneer of quantum mechanics. In 1945, after having been nominated by Albert Einstein, Pauli received the Nobel Prize in Physics "for the ...
, the 1945 winner, taught him the theory of nuclear forces; Dr.
Robert A. Millikan Robert Andrews Millikan ( ; March 22, 1868 – December 19, 1953) was an American physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1923 "for his work on the elementary charge of electricity and on the photoelectric effect". Millikan gradua ...
, the 1923 winner, taught him molecular spectra. In addition, he played tennis with Dr.
Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian and naturalized American physicist, renowned for being the creator of the world's first artificial nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1, and a member of the Manhattan Project ...
, a 1938 laureate."


Personal life

Henry was married to Jeanne Pearlson Henry and they had one daughter, Eva Henry.On October 31, 2001, Henry died of congestive heart failure at Sibley Memorial Hospital.


Awards and recognitions

Henry was a Fellow of the
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 ...
, and the
American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
. For 1974–75, he received the Outstanding Educator in America. He was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Community from the
National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
, and the 1997 Technical Achiever Award of the Year from the National Technical Association. In 1997, he was awarded the 1st Annual Golden Torch Award for Lifetime Achievement in Engineering, bestowed by the
National Society of Black Engineers The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) is a society that was founded in 1975 at Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. It is one of the largest student-run organizations in the United States, with core activities centered ...
. On 19 September 1997, the W.E. Henry Symposium Compendium was held at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The event was held to honor Henry's career and achievements, and included speakers such as
Glenn Seaborg Glenn Theodore Seaborg ( ; April 19, 1912February 25, 1999) was an American chemist whose involvement in the synthesis, discovery and investigation of ten transuranium elements earned him a share of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His work i ...
, Arthur Thorpe,
Ronald Mickens Ronald Elbert Mickens (born February 7, 1943) is an American physicist and mathematician who is the Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Physics at Clark Atlanta University. His research focuses on nonlinear dynamics and mathematical modeling, includ ...
, and
Sylvester James Gates Sylvester James Gates Jr. (born December 15, 1950), known as S. James Gates Jr. or Jim Gates, is an American theoretical physicist who works on supersymmetry, supergravity, and superstring theory. He is currently the Toll Professor of Physics at ...
. The compendium was organized by Harry Morison, Hattie Carwell, Harry Reed, Keith Jackson and Robert Bragg. In 1999, his alma mater, the University of Chicago, awarded Henry a professional achievement citation to recognize his contributions to cryogenics and magnetism.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, Warren Elliot 1909 births 2001 deaths People from Evergreen, Alabama 20th-century American physicists 20th-century African-American scientists Fellows of the American Physical Society Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Tuskegee University alumni University of Chicago alumni Tuskegee University faculty Morehouse College faculty Spelman College faculty Clark Atlanta University alumni African-American physicists 21st-century African-American scientists