Leo Brewer

Who was Leo Brewer?

Leo Brewer 1919-2005 was an American physical chemist, considered by many to be the founder of modern high-temperature chemistry. He was born 13 June 1919 in St. Louis, Missouri and died 22 February 2005 in Lafayette, California, of the sequelae of Beryllium poisoning from his work in World War II. Brewer received his BS from the California Institute of Technology in 1940 and his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1942. Brewer joined the Manhattan Project following his graduate work, and joined the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley in 1946. Leo Brewer married Rose Sturgo in 1945. They had three children, Beth Gaydos, Roger Brewer, and Gail Brewer.