Felix Edgar Wormser [1] (died June 29, 1981) was an American engineering and former government official who served as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Mineral Resources in the United States Department of the Interior from 1954 to 1957. [2] [3]
Wormser was born in Santa Barbara, California and graduated from Columbia School of Mines with a degree in mining engineering in 1916. [4] At Columbia, he was a member of the men's varsity crew team. [5]
He was employed by the United States Bureau of Mines until 1919, when he served in the United States Army. [4] From 1920 to 1925, Wormser was a member of the editorial staff of McGraw Hill. He then worked as a consulting mining engineer from 1925 to 1947. [4] He was a trustee of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers from 1940 to 1945. [6]
Wormser was secretary-treasurer of the Lead Industries Association and vice president of St. Joe Minerals from 1947 to 1953, when he was appointed Assistant Secretary for Mineral Resources by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. [7]
Wormser was a close associate of President Eisenhower when he led Columbia University as president. He was a member of the board of trustees of Columbia and was tapped by Eisenhower to head a $12 million fundraising drive for an engineering center, which he belied was vital due to a lack of engineering and technical personnel in the United States vis-a-vis the Soviet Union. [7] [8] [9]
In 1956, he received the Thomas Egleston Medal from Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science, the highest award bestowed to alumni and graduates of the school. [10] [11]
He died at his home in Greenwich, Connecticut on June 29, 1981. He was 86 years old and was survived by his wife, two daughters, and nine grandchildren. [7]
Mining in the engineering discipline is the extraction of minerals from underneath, open pit, above, or on the ground. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, and metallurgy, geotechnical engineering and surveying. A mining engineer may manage any phase of mining operations, from exploration and discovery of the mineral resources, through feasibility study, mine design, development of plans, production and operations to mine closure.
The School of General Studies, Columbia University (GS) is a liberal arts college and one of the undergraduate colleges of Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights, New York City. GS is known primarily for its traditional B.A. program for non-traditional students. GS students make up almost 30% of the Columbia undergraduate population.
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college of Columbia University, a private Ivy League research university in New York City. Situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan, it was founded by the Church of England in 1754 as King's College by royal charter of King George II of Great Britain. It is Columbia University's traditional undergraduate program, offering BA degrees, and is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York and the fifth oldest in the United States.
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York is the governing board of Columbia University in New York City. Founded in 1754, it is also referred to as the Columbia Corporation, as distinguished from affiliates of the university that are separate legal entities, such as Barnard College. The board of trustees was originally composed of ex officio members including officials from the New York colonial government, crown officials, and various Protestant ministers from the city. Following the college's resuscitation following the American Revolutionary War, it was placed under the control of the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York, and the university would finally come under the control of a private board of trustees in 1787. The board is notable for having administered the Pulitzer Prize from the prize's establishment until 1975. It consists of 24 members and as of 2021 is co-chaired by Lisa Carnoy and Jonathan Lavine.
The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) is a professional association for mining and metallurgy, with over 145,000 members. It was founded in 1871 by 22 mining engineers in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States, being one of the first national engineering societies in the country. Its charter is to "advance and disseminate, through the programs of the Member Societies, knowledge of engineering and the arts and sciences involved in the production and use of minerals, metals, energy sources and materials for the benefit of humankind."
Wallach Hall is the second oldest residence hall on the campus of Columbia University, and currently houses undergraduate students from Columbia College as well as the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. It opened in 1905 as "Livingston Hall" after Robert Livingston, a Founding Father of the United States and alumnus of King's College, Columbia's predecessor, but its name was changed after Ira D. Wallach donated approximately $2 million towards its renovation. This gave rise to the joke, "Livingston signed the Declaration of Independence, Wallach signed a check."
Richard Cunningham Patterson Jr. (1886–1966) was an American government official and diplomat. Patterson was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of Richard Cunningham Patterson, an attorney, and Martha Belle Neiswanger. After working as a laborer in the gold mines of South Dakota and a year at the University of Nebraska, he received an engineer of mines degree at Columbia University’s School of Mines in 1912.
Carman Hall is a dormitory located on Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus and currently houses first-year students from Columbia College as well as the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.
William Embry Wrather was an American geologist.
Frederick van Pelt Bryan was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
George Zerdin Medalie was an American lawyer and politician.
Thomas Egleston was an American engineer who helped found Columbia University's School of Mines, now the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. Throughout his lifetime, Egleston published numerous lectures and books on metallurgy. Many of his books are preserved today at the archive in the Library of Congress.
Bhakta B. Rath is an Indian American material physicist and head of the Materials Science and Component Technology of the United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. He is the chief administrative officer for program planning, interdisciplinary coordination, supervision and control of research and is the associate director of research for Materials Science and Component Technology at NRL.
Frank Thomas Matthews White (1909–1971) was an Australian mining and metallurgical engineer and mineral science educator. His career included appointments in Australia, Fiji, Malaya, and Canada.
Justin Shubow is an American architectural critic who currently serves as the president of the National Civic Art Society, a nonprofit organization that advocates and promotes public art and architecture in the classical tradition. He was a member of the United States Commission of Fine Arts from 2018 to 2021 and served as its chairman in 2021, being the first Jew to hold that position.
Alan D. Cohn is an American lawyer and former government official who served as Assistant Secretary for Strategy, Planning, Analysis & Risk in the United States Department of Homeland Security Office of Policy from 2012 to 2015.
John Hampton Slate was an American aviation lawyer and founding partner of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.
George James was an American physician who served as Commissioner of Health of the City of New York, dean of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and president of the Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Charles M. Brinckerhoff was an American engineer and businessman who was formerly the chairman and CEO of Anaconda Copper, the world's largest producer of copper. He was a recipient of the Hoover Medal and the William Lawrence Saunders Gold Medal.
Thomas Victor Falkie was an American mining engineer and educator. He served as the 14th director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines.