Philipp Frank (1884–1966)

Philipp Frank was born to a Jewish family in Vienna, then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His parents were Jenny (Feilendorf) and Ignaz Frank. His younger brother Josef Frank became a noted architect and designer. Philipp studied physics at the Universities of Göttingen and Vienna, earning a doctorate in theoretical physics at the latter in 1907 under the supervision of Ludwig Boltzmann. During this time, Frank became friends with Richard von Mises, his classmate and fellow member of what became known as the Vienna Circle. This group of philosophers and scientists included Hans Hahn and Otto Neurath. Frank joined the faculty of the University of Vienna in 1910. Albert Einstein recommended him to succeed him to the chair in theoretical physics at the German-speaking Charles-Ferdinand University of Prague. Frank held this position from 1912 until 1938. That year saw Nazi Germany's Anschluss (annexation) of Austria, and Frank fled to he USA. He was invited by Harvard University to be a visiting lecturer on quantum theory and the philosophy of modern physics. He then became a lecturer on physics and mathematics until his retirement in 1954. In 1947, he founded the Institute for the Unity of Science as part of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS). That same year, he published the biography Einstein: His Life and Times. Frank's other books included Foundations of Physics (1946) and Philosophy of Science (1957).