Harrison M. Randall

Harrison McAllister Randall (December 17, 1870 – November 10, 1969) was an American physicist and longtime department head in the physics department of the University of Michigan. He is the key figure responsible for establishing theoretical physics research at that university. He served as the president of the American Physical Society in 1937.

Biography Randall was born in Burr Oak, Michigan, on December 17, 1870. His family then moved to Ann Arbor, where he spent his formative years. He graduated from the Ann Arbor High School in 1889.

College years Randall entered the University of Michigan at the age of 19 and earned his bachelor's degree in Physics from the university in 1893. A year later he completed a master's degree, then spent a few years teaching in high schools in West Bay City and Saginaw, living with his intended Ida Muma.

In 1899 he returned to the University of Michigan to pursue a PhD in Physics while working as a graduate student instructor. He completed his PhD in 1902 and took a position on the faculty.

Awards

The Optical Society Frederic Ives Medal (1952)

Personal life

In interviews, Randall displayed a complex mix of humility—often downplaying his own substantial accomplishments—and bitterness over what he felt were his ideas stolen by other researchers, particularly his students who went on to publish more prominently than he ever did.

Randall married Ida Muma on August 24, 1898. His daughter Mary Foote Randall married geneticist Sterling Howard Emerson.