John Herbert Hollomon, Jr.

John Herbert Hollomon, Jr. (March 12, 1919 – May 8, 1985), generally known as J. Herbert Hollomon, was a noted American engineer and founding member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Biography

Hollomon was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and in 1946 received his D.Sc. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in metallurgy. He then joined the General Electric laboratories in Schenectady, New York, where he eventually became general manager.

In 1962, he was appointed first assistant secretary for science and technology at the United States Department of Commerce. In this role he established the Environmental Sciences Services Administration (later, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the Commerce Technical Advisory Board, and the State Technical Services program. He served for part of 1967 as acting under secretary of commerce, but left government for the University of Oklahoma where he served one year as president-designate and two as President.

In 1970, Hollomon returned to MIT as consultant to the president and subsequently as Professor of Engineering. In 1983, he moved to the Boston University campus, where he remained until his death. Hollomon Hall on the University of Oklahoma campus is named in his honor.

References

• National Academy of Engineering memorial tribute

Preceded by George Lynn Cross

President of the University of Oklahoma 1968-1970

Succeeded by Paul F. Sharp