Franklin Matthias
| Franklin T. Matthias | |
|---|---|
Colonel Franklin T. Matthias at the Hanford site in 1942
|
|
| Born |
13 March 1908 Glidden, Wisconsin |
| Died | 3 December 1993 (aged 85) Walnut Creek, California |
| Allegiance |
 United States |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1941–1946 |
| Rank |
 Colonel
|
| Commands held | Hanford Engineer Works |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal |
| Other work | Vice president at Kaiser Engineers |
Franklin Thompson Matthias (13 March 1908 – 3 December 1993) was an American civil engineer who directed construction of the Hanford nuclear site, a key facility of the Manhattan Project during World War II.
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Matthias joined the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as a Junior Hydraulic Engineer in 1935, and worked on hydroelectric projects. In April 1941, he was called to active duty by the United States Army, and joined the Construction Division of the Army Corps of Engineers. He was area engineer at the Manhattan Project's Hanford site from 1942 to 1945. As such, he supervised the enormous construction effort, which included three chemical separation plants so large that they were known as "Queen Marys", and the world's first three production-scale nuclear reactors.
After the war Matthais went to Brazil, where he helped build a hydroelectric facility. He joined the Aluminum Company of Canada (Alcan) in 1951, and was involved in the construction of its Kemano-Kitimat hydroelectric dam and aluminum smelter project in northern British Columbia and the Chute-des-Passes project in Quebec. He was a vice president at Kaiser Engineering from 1960 to 1973.
Franklin Thompson Matthias was born in Glidden, Wisconsin, on 13 March 1908, the son of Franklin Herman Matthias and Christina Thompson. He had two older brothers, Harold and Norman, and a younger brother, Carl. In 1928 he became an instructor in Topographical and Hydraulic Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, from which he received his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in civil engineering in 1931, and his Master of Science (M.S.) degree in civil engineering in 1933. While there he joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). In 1930 and 1931 he was editor of the Wisconsin Engineer, and president of the university YMCA. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi and Scabbard and Blade, and was a national officer of Chi Epsilon from 1931 to 1942.
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