Arnold Beckman

Arnold O. Beckman (April 10, 1900 May 18, 2004) was the founder and chairman of Beckman Instruments, and is one of the top inventors of scientific instruments that revolutionized the study of human biology, ultimately saving countless lives around the world. In 1922, he earned his degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois, and, in 1928, received his doctorate degree in photochemistry at the California Institute of Technology. While teaching at Cal Tech, he founded Beckman Instruments in 1935, with the production of a pH meter he invented. A forerunner of modern electrochemical instrumentation, the scientific instrument simplified and expedited acidity and alkalinity measurements. It quickly became an indispensable tool in analytical chemistry and, in 1987, earned him a place in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. In 1940, Beckman created the DU Spectrophotometer, which revolutionized chemical analysis by improving the time and accuracy of biological assays to minutes with a 99.9 percent precision. In 1955, Beckman established the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory to fund William Shockleys research into semiconductor technology near Palo Alto, California. It was the first silicon transistor company, and gave rise to what is now known as the Silicon Valley. From its modest beginning, Beckman Instruments grew to become one of the world's leading suppliers of instruments to the health care and life science industries. In 1982, Beckman merged with SmithKline to form SmithKline Beckman Corporation. He went on to create the Arnold and Mable Beckman Foundation, which has donated more than $400 million to scientific causes. Beckman was inducted into the U.S. Business Hall of Fame, and has been awarded the National Medal of Science, the National Medal of Technology, and Presidential Citizens Medal. He died in 2004 in La Jolla, California, at the age of 104. Dr. Arnold O. Beckman participated in the 1982 Achievement Summit in New Orleans, Louisiana, and spoke to the student delegates about the unlimited opportunities in the world.