James Bryant Conant

James Bryant Conant , 1893-1978, American educator, b. Dorchester, Mass., grad. Harvard (B.A., 1913; Ph.D., 1916). Except for a brief period in the army (1917-19), Conant taught chemistry at Harvard from 1916 until 1933, serving as chairman of the department during the last three years. He was president of Harvard from 1933 until his resignation in 1953. Conant was chairman (1941-46) of the National Defense Research Committee, playing a significant role in the development of the atomic bomb. After World War II, he was an adviser to the National Science Foundation and the Atomic Energy Commission. In 1953 he was appointed U.S. High Commissioner for Germany and later served as ambassador to West Germany (1955-57). He directed a number of extensive investigations of American education and published widely in the field. Conant's writings include Education in a Divided World (1948), Modern Science and Modern Man (1952), Education and Liberty (1953), Slums and Suburbs (1961), The Comprehensive High School (1967), Scientific Principles and Moral Conduct (1967), and his autobiography, My Several Lives (1970).

Conant, James Bryant (1893–1978) educator and scientist, born in Boston, Massachusetts. Conant chaired the National Defense Research Council, the weapons research and development group of the federal Office of Scientific Research and Development (1939–46). He coordinated the federal effort to develop the atomic bomb and other scientific war-related programs. An advocate of total war, he authorized the “all-out” development of an atomic weapon in December 1940. As high commissioner and ambassador in Germany (1953–57), he managed occupying military forces, coordinated relief efforts, and provided diplomatic leadership.