Last updated: March 22, 2023
Person
Manhattan Project Leaders: Kenneth David Nichols
UNITED STATES ARMY
Quick Facts
Significance:
District Engineer of the Manhattan Engineer District
Place of Birth:
Cleveland, OH
Date of Birth:
November 13, 1907
Place of Death:
Bethesda, MD
Date of Death:
February 21, 2000
Place of Burial:
Arlington, VA
Cemetery Name:
Arlington National Cemetery
Born in Cleveland, OH in 1907, Kenneth Nichols graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY in 1929 and received a PhD in hydraulic engineering from Iowa State University in 1937. In June 1942, as a lieutenant colonel, Nichols was appointed Deputy District Engineer of the Manhattan Engineer District. In this role Nichols was responsible for site selection of Oak Ridge, TN and uranium ore procurement.
On May 22, 1943, Nichols was appointed District Engineer of the Manhattan Engineer District, serving directly under General Leslie Groves. As District Engineer, Nichols’ responsibilities included overseeing the uranium enrichment facilities at Oak Ridge and the plutonium production facilities at Hanford. For his work on the Manhattan Project, Nichols was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
After the war, Nichols was promoted to Brigadier General and then Major General in 1948, becoming chief of the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project. From 1950 to 1953, Nichols served as the deputy director of guided missiles for the Department of Defense. In October 1953, Nichols retired from the Army, becoming general secretary of the US Atomic Energy Commission which superseded the Manhattan Project in 1947. Nichols retired from federal service in 1955 to become a consultant. Kenneth Nichols died in Arlington, VA on February 21, 2000.