Article

Andrew Robertson Gordon

Published Online June 10, 2008

Last Edited December 15, 2013

Andrew Robertson Gordon, physical chemist, educator (b at Toronto June 26 1896; d there 29 July 1967). He was an officer in the Canadian Field Artillery in WWI and was appointed to the department of chemistry of the University of Toronto in 1925.

Andrew Robertson Gordon

Andrew Robertson Gordon, physical chemist, educator (b at Toronto June 26 1896; d there 29 July 1967). He was an officer in the Canadian Field Artillery in WWI and was appointed to the department of chemistry of the University of Toronto in 1925. He was widely recognized for his pioneering research on the calculation of chemical properties by quantum statistical mechanics and in 1946 received an OBE for research and advice during WWII. He made significant contributions to the theory of electrolytic solutions.

Head of the department of chemistry 1946-60, he was a founding member of the Defence Research Board and founding director of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. He greatly improved the stature of graduate studies as dean of graduate studies, University of Toronto, 1953-64.