Arnold Orville Beckman (April 10, 1900 – May 18, 2004) was an American chemist who founded Beckman Instruments based on his invention of the pH meter, a device for measuring acidity, in 1934.
He was an active philanthropist through the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. Donations chiefly went to scientists and scientific causes including the University of Illinois, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1922 and master's degree in 1923, and Caltech, where he received his doctorate in 1928. To date, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation has given more than 400 million dollars to various charities and organizations.
In 1955, Beckman established the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory to fund William Shockley's research into semiconductor technology. Because Shockley's aging mother lived in Palo Alto, Shockley established the laboratory in nearby Mountain View, California. Thus, Silicon Valley was born.
Beckman was born in Cullom, Illinois. During his later years, Beckman lived in Corona Del Mar near Newport Beach, California.
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