Tuxedo Park:  A Great Book about a Great Man

I just finished reading the Ayn Rand Bookstore biography: Tuxedo Park, by Jennet Conant.  The book is about the Wall Street tycoon turned scientist, Alfred Loomis, who created a world class research facility out of his estate in Tuxedo Park, New York.

Loomis hosted talented and famous scientists to come to his place and do research in a philanthropic, high-class environment.  Having distinguished himself in World War I, through his innovative, technological talent, and by observing military events, Loomis understood the dynamics of science and politics involved in conducting a war.

Back on Wall Street, Alfred Loomis predicted the 1929 crash and sold his stock before it happened--thus preserving his wealth with the ability to get back in when the market hit bottom.  However, Loomis's greatest achievements were yet to come.  As an amateur scientist, he poured more and more money into his home run lab experiments--becoming a leading expert in the fields of radio waves and microwaves that were newly detected by physicists.  At the same time, the field of nuclear physics piqued the interest of Loomis; and he personally financed the building of cyclotrons to study small matter.

As the likelihood of America being involved in World War II approached, Loomis was instrumental in bringing together: scientists, funding and political support for preparation of the inevitable.  With Britain nearly on its knees due to the German bombing, Loomis focused on developing better radar technology which eventually got so good that he can personally be credited with having helped win the war in Europe.  On the other front, Loomis's: early cyclotron funding, scientific knowledge, and advocacy and guidance of political connections made him a major contributor to building the atomic bomb that defeated the Japanese.

Read Tuxedo Park to follow the life of a great man who: made money, spent money, and studied science because he enjoyed doing it.

Paul Wharton
Objectivist Capitalist Medicine Promoter