Adelbert T. Tweedie Papers

Collection

Identifier: 2019-021

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The Adelbert T. Tweedie Papers contain the professional and personal papers of American research chemist Adelbert T. Tweedie. The materials in this collection mainly concern various projects Tweedie worked on at General Electric Company’s Missile and Space Division and the division's successors. The collection is arranged into the following two series:

General Electric Company Proposals
Miscellaneous Files

Dates

Creation: 1964-2016
Creation: Majority of material found within Bulk 1966-1986

Creator

Tweedie, Adelbert T., 1931- (Person)

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes and the collection is open to the public.

Copyright Information

The Science History Institute holds copyright to the Adelbert T. Tweedie Papers. The researcher assumes full responsibility for all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Background Note

Adelbert T. Tweedie was an American research chemist. He was best known for his work in developing materials for use in the United States’ space program. Tweedie earned his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Michigan (1953) and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Illinois (1956). After receiving his Ph.D., he worked as a Research Chemist at Dow Chemical Company’s Physical Research Laboratory in Midland, Michigan (1956-1958).

Tweedie first started researching chemicals for space flight applications in 1958, when he was hired by Aerojet-General Corporation. Serving as a Research Scientist (1958-1962), he was involved in Aerojet-General’s efforts to develop high-energy solid rocket propellants. In 1962, Tweedie moved to Union Carbide Corporation, where he served as Technical Supervisor of the firm’s Rocket Propulsion Project (1962-1964). At Union Carbide, he was involved in the firm’s efforts to design solid propellant rockets.

In 1964, Tweedie was hired by General Electric Company’s Missile and Space Division, where he enjoyed a notable career that lasted nearly twenty-five years. Over the course of his career with this General Electric division, he served as Manager of Chemical Materials Development (1964-1968), Manager of Materials Development and Applications (1968-1976), Manager of Materials Engineering (1976-1986), and Chief Scientist (1986-1988). During Tweedie’s tenure, due to corporate reorganizations, General Electric’s Missile and Space Division was subsequently renamed the Space Division in 1969 and the Space Systems Division in 1982.

At General Electric, Tweedie oversaw the development of a number of materials that were used for space flight applications, including flexible encapsulating resins, SMRD 100 low outgassing vibration damping compounds, and ultraviolet resistant coatings. In 1967, he was a member of a General Electric team investigating the causes of the fatal Apollo 1 Launchpad Fire, which identified flammable materials present in the space capsule. He also served as a member of the General Electric Space Division Technological Hazards Review Board.

Tweedie retired from General Electric Company in 1988. After leaving General Electric, he served as Chief Scientist at Devon Associates.

Adelbert T. Tweedie was an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Chemical Society and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He was the recipient of General Electric’s GE-MSD Paige Award for the Development of Flexible Encapsulating Resins (1964) and the Marquis Who’s Who Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award (2018).

Sources

“Adelbert T. Tweedie, Ph.D., Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who’s Who,” Adelbert Tweedie, Ph.D., Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who (24-7pressrelease.com).

Adelbert T. Tweedie Papers, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.