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Serge Alexander Korff

1906 – 1989

Finnish-born American physicist

Physicist
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About Serge Alexander Korff

Lived 1906 – 1989 (aged 83). Serge Alexander Korff was a Finnish and American physicist.

Serge Alexander Korff (June 5, 1906 - December 1, 1989) was a Finnish-born American physicist and a pioneer of cosmic ray research. He invented the wire proportional counter particle detectors.

Early life

Serge Alexander Korff was born at June 5, 1906 in Helsinki. His father, baron was an assistant of Governor-General of Finland, then part of the Russian Empire, and a professor of the Russian law at the University of Helsinki. The family moved to the US after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Writer Vladimir Nabokov was his cousin.

Personal life Korff was married three times: to American art critic Alice Graeme (divorced, two daughters Alexandra Scott and Alice Boardman), to Betty Hurd Renshaw (died in 1975), and to Marcella Heron.

Awards and honors

Chevalier of the Legion of Honor (1952)

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Important facts

Born
5 June 1906, Helsinki
Birth century
20th century
Died
1 December 1989, Manhattan
Occupation
Physicist
Nationality
Finland, United States
Awards
Fellow of the American Geophysical Union; Knight of the Legion of Honour

People in Serge Alexander Korff's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Portrait of Personal
Personal
b. 1963
Computer scientist
 Portrait of Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
1899 – 1977
Novelist

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Serge Alexander Korff's

Portrait of Arthur Keith
Arthur Keith
1866 – 1955
Anthropologist
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Carl Gustav Witt
1866 – 1946
Astronomer
 Portrait of Charles Nicolle
Charles Nicolle
1866 – 1936
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 Portrait of Ludwig Aschoff
Ludwig Aschoff
1866 – 1942
Physician
 Portrait of Reginald Fessenden
Reginald Fessenden
1866 – 1932
Physicist
 Portrait of Charles Fabry
Charles Fabry
1867 – 1945
Physicist

Frequently asked questions

Who was Serge Alexander Korff?

Finnish-born American physicist

When was Serge Alexander Korff born?

Serge Alexander Korff was born on 5 June 1906 in Helsinki.

When did Serge Alexander Korff die?

Serge Alexander Korff died on 1 December 1989 in Manhattan.

What was Serge Alexander Korff's occupation?

Serge Alexander Korff was a physicist.

What nationality was Serge Alexander Korff?

Serge Alexander Korff was Finnish and American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Serge Alexander Korff

· Wikidata: Q71060461

· DBpedia: Serge Alexander Korff

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Serge Alexander Korff. https://biography.guide/serge-alexander-korff/

MLA: "Serge Alexander Korff." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/serge-alexander-korff/.

Chicago: "Serge Alexander Korff." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/serge-alexander-korff/.

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