Wilhelm Eitel

Personal

Vocation

Traits

German-American mineralogist and the author of a multitude of scientific papers and books including the 8-volume monograph series Physical Chemistry of Silicates. In 1920 and 1921 Eitel was assistant professor in mineralogy at the University of Leipzig; from 1921 to 1926 professor at the University of Königsberg, and from 1926 to 1945 full professor in mineralogy at the Technical University of Berlin. From 1926 to 1945 Professor Wilhelm Eitel also held the office of director of the "Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Silicatforschung" in Berlin (now: Fraunhofer-Institut für Silicatforschung). In this function Eitel is known to have provided ample employment for women scientists. Eitel became a member of Adolf Hitler's NSDAP in May 1933, and remained a staunch and active supporter of the Nazi Party until his unsolicited transfer to the USA in 1945. In December of that year Eitel became one of the 1,500 German scientists transferred by the Office of Strategic Services to the United States during Operation Paperclip. From 1945 to 1952 Eitel worked for the US Navy; and from 1952 to 1961 Dr. W. Eitel held the post of director of the Silicate Research Institute at the University of Toledo, Ohio. Wilhelm Eitel died on 20 July 1979, aged 88. Link to Wikipedia biography