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John Brooks Slaughter
John Brooks Slaughter
11th President of Occidental College
	In office; 1989–1999
Preceded by	Richard C. Gilman
Succeeded by	Ted Mitchell
5th (and last) Chancellor of the University of Maryland, College Park
	In office; 1982–1988
Preceded by	Robert Gluckstern
Succeeded by	William English Kirwan; (as president)
6th Director of the National Science Foundation
	In office; 1980–1982
President	Jimmy Carter; Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Richard C. Atkinson
Succeeded by	Edward A. Knapp
Personal details
Born	March 16, 1934; Topeka, Kansas, U.S.
Died	December 6, 2023 (aged 89); Pasadena, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Washburn University; Kansas State University; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, San Diego;
	Scientific career
Fields	Electrical engineering
Institutions	Navy Electronics Laboratory
Thesis	The solution of a class; of optimal control problems; by linear and piecewise-linear programming techniques (1971)

John Brooks Slaughter (March 16, 1934 – December 6, 2023) was an American electrical engineer and college president who served as the first African-American director of the National Science Foundation (NSF).^[1] His work focused on the development of computer algorithms for system optimization and discrete signal processing.

Early life and education

Slaughter was born in and grew up in Topeka, Kansas, and attended Topeka High School. After two years at Washburn University, Slaughter transferred and earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from Kansas State University in 1956, an M.S. in engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1961, and a Ph.D. in engineering sciences from the University of California, San Diego in 1971.^[2]^[3]

Academic career

Slaughter took a civilian position at the United States Navy Electronics Laboratory in San Diego in 1960. He was appointed Director of the Applied Physics Laboratory of the University of Washington in 1975. He joined the NSF in 1977 as assistant director for Astronomics, Atmospherics, Earth and Ocean Sciences. From 1980 to 1982 he was Director of the NSF.^[4]

Slaughter was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering in 1982. From 1982 to 1988 Slaughter served as Chancellor of the University of Maryland, College Park, then served as President of Occidental College in Los Angeles from 1988 to 1999. In 1999 he was appointed Melbo Professor of Leadership in Education at the University of Southern California.

Death

Slaughter died on December 6, 2023, while receiving treatment at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, California. He was 89.^[5]

Awards and honors

Awarded the IEEE Founders Medal for 2022.^[6]
Mount Slaughter, one of the peaks of the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica
In 2023, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering renamed their Center for Engineering Diversity to the John Brooks Slaughter Center for Engineering Diversity.^[7]

References

^ "About - NSF History - John B. Slaughter Biography | NSF - National Science Foundation". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
^ "John Slaughter". The History Makers. Nov 28, 2012.
^ Slaughter, John Brooks (1971). The solution of a class of optimal control problems by linear and piecewise-linear programming techniques (Ph.D.). University of California, San Diego. OCLC 17797905 – via ProQuest.
^ Staff report (June 12, 1982). National Science Chief To Leave Federal Post. New York Times
^ "Occidental College President Emeritus John B. Slaughter Dies at 89". Occidental College. December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
^ "IEEE Founders Medal Recipients" (PDF). IEEE. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
^ "A Tribute to Excellence and Equity: the John Brooks Slaughter Center for Engineering Diversity". USC Viterbi | School of Engineering. Retrieved 2023-09-21.

External links

John Brooks Slaughter profile via The Faces of Science: African Americans in the Sciences.
John Brooks Slaughter at IMDb

Government offices
Preceded by Richard C. Atkinson	Director of the National Science Foundation December 1980 – October 1982	Succeeded by Edward A. Knapp
Academic offices
Preceded by Robert Gluckstern	Chancellor of the University of Maryland, College Park 1982–1988	Succeeded by William English Kirwan (as President)
Preceded by Richard C. Gilman	President of Occidental College 1989–1999	Succeeded by Theodore R. Mitchell