Papers Of Norman Davidson

Finding aid created by California Institute of Technology staff using RecordEXPRESS
California Institute of Technology
1200 East California Blvd., Mail Code 015A-74
Pasadena, California 91125
(626) 395-2704
archives@caltech.edu
http://archives.caltech.edu/
2014


Descriptive Summary

Title: Papers Of Norman Davidson
Dates: 1957-1975
Collection Number: 10046-MS
Creator/Collector: Archives staff.
Extent: 6 linear feet
Repository: California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California 91125
Abstract: The papers include correspondence and files on publishing, research grants, professional organizations such as the American Chemical Society and the National Academy of Sciences. The collection contains also files on the Caltech Institute of Technology faculty committees, the Gates Chemical Laboratory, and the Chemistry Division fiscal matters and some material on L. Pauling (specifically the K. Clark Pauling show) and miscellaneous personal material.
Language of Material: English

Access

The collection is open for research. Researchers must apply in writing for access.

Preferred Citation

Papers Of Norman Davidson. California Institute of Technology

Acquisition Information

The majority of the collection was donated to the Caltech Archives by Norman Davidson himself in 1974. Supplements to this collection were donated by the Chemistry Division in 2000 and 2010.

Biography/Administrative History

Norman Davidson was born in 1916 in Chicago. He was a molecular biologist, whose groundbreaking work led to a better understanding of the genetic blueprint of life. Davidson joined the Caltech faculty as a chemistry instructor in 1946, and remained on the faculty for the rest of his life. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and in 1996 he was awarded the National Medal of Science from U.S. President Bill Clinton. He died in Pasadena in 2002.

Scope and Content of Collection

Series 1, Correspondence, includes communications with both individuals and corporate bodies and is arranged in alphabetical sequence. Series 2, California Institute of Technology, includes important material relating to Davidson's involvement in the administration of the Chemistry Division at the California Institute of Technology, and in his participation in many faculty committees of the Institution. The supplement at the end of this series includes papers related to Linus Pauling and some personal papers. Related Material: Oral history interview with Norman R. Davidson, Caltech Archives 1987. (http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Davidson_N)

Indexing Terms

Chemistry
Molecular biology
Delbrück, Max
Pauling, Linus
Brown, Edmund

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