Warren Marrison

Warren A. Marrison (21 May 1896 – 27 March 1980)[2] was a Canadian engineer and inventor. Marrison was the co-inventor of the first Quartz clock in 1927.[3]

Warren A. Marrison
Born
Warren Alvin Marrison[1]

(1896-05-21)21 May 1896
Inverary, Ontario, Canada
Died27 March 1980(1980-03-27) (aged 83)
Palo Verdes Estates, California[2]
Alma materHarvard University
Known forQuartz clock
Scientific career
FieldsHorology
InstitutionsBell Labs

Early life and education

Marrison was born in Inverary, Frontenac county, Ontario.[2] He studied at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where he was part of a new program in engineering physics. He graduated in 1920 with a bachelor's degree in physics engineering;[4] his studies were interrupted by World War I when he served in the Royal Flying Corps as a radio technician.[2]

Beginning in 1921, he studied at Harvard University, ultimately receiving a master's degree.[2] He worked at first for Western Electric in New York City, but moved to Bell Laboratories in New York beginning in 1925.[2]

Quartz clock

At Bell Labs in New York, Marrison was working on frequency standards using quartz as a reference. It was in 1927 that he developed the first quartz clock while working with J.W. Horton. The clock used a block of crystal, stimulated by electricity, to produce pulses at a frequency of 50,000 cycles per second.[5] A submultiple controlled frequency generator then divided this down to a usable, regular pulse that drove a synchronous motor.[5] While this first version of the clock was crude; Morrison produced a more refined version in 1928.[2] A New York Times headline in October 1929 reported "Electrified Quartz Crystal Displaces Clock Pendulum".[6]

Legacy and awards

The invention would lead AT&T, the subsequent owners of Bell Labs, to develop a timepiece division called Frequency Control Products.[7] This would eventually become the company Vectron International.[7]

In 1947 Marrison was awarded a Gold Medal from the British Horological Institute.[8] In 1955 the Clockmakers Company awarded him the Tompion Medal.[2]

In 2011 Marrison was inducted into the Inventor's Hall of Fame.[9]

References
  1. Paul, Larry R. (2005). Made in the Twentieth Century: A Guide to Contemporary Collectibles. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-4563-3.
  2. Day, Lance; McNeil, Ian (2002-09-11). Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-65019-4.
  3. Johnston, Andrew Kenneth; Connor, Roger; Stephens, Carlene E.; Ceruzzi, Paul E. (2015). Time and Navigation: The Untold Story of Getting from Here to There. Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 978-1-58834-491-5.
  4. "History | Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy". www.queensu.ca.
  5. Marrison, W. A. "The Evolution of the Quartz Crystal Clock". IEEE UFFC.
  6. "ELECTRIFIED QUARTZ CRYSTAL DISPLACES CLOCK PENDULUM". The New York Times. 1929-10-13.
  7. "AT&T Archives: Quartz Crystal Growing". techchannel.att.com.
  8. Marrison, Warren A. (1948). "The Evolution of the Quartz Crystal Clock*". Bell System Technical Journal. 27 (3): 510–588. doi:10.1002/j.1538-7305.1948.tb01343.x.
  9. "NIHF Inductee Warren Marrison Invented the Quartz Clock". www.invent.org.
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