George Russell Harrison

Who was George Russell Harrison?

George Russell Harrison was an American physicist.

Harrison became Professor of Experimental Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1930, and was appointed the school's Dean of Science in 1942; he also headed MIT's Spectroscopy Laboratory. During World War II, he was chief of the Optics Division of the National Defense Research Committee, and later head of the Office of Field Service of the Office of Scientific Research and Development. He served as president of the Optical Society of America from 1945–46 and was awarded the Frederic Ives Medal in 1949. He was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1946 by President Harry Truman. He remained Dean of Science at MIT until his retirement in 1964.