William T. Golden

Who was William T. Golden?

William T. Golden was an American investment banker, philanthropist, and science adviser.

Golden was born October 25, 1909 in New York; his parents were both the children of poor Lithuanian immigrants to the U.S., and his father worked in the textile industry and later became a banker. He was an early fan of technology, and earned a ham radio license at the age of 13. He earned a baccalaureate in English and biology at the University of Pennsylvania, and then studied for a year at the Harvard Business School before beginning work for Harold F. Linder on Wall Street. Much later in his life, he earned a masters degree in biology from Columbia University in 1979, and five honorary doctorates.

During World War II, Golden worked for the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, and helped develop antiaircraft gun firing technology. After the war, he worked with Lewis Strauss at the newly formed Atomic Energy Commission. In the 1950s, when president Harry Truman consulted Golden concerning the possible re-establishment of the wartime Office of Scientific Research and Development, Golden instead suggested appointing a science adviser to the president.