John Gamble Kirkwood

John Gamble Kirkwood (1907–1959) was an American chemist, physicist, and university teacher. Born in Oklahoma, he worked in theoretical physics, chemical physics, physical chemistry, and statistical physics. He was employed by Cornell University, the University of Chicago, the California Institute of Technology, and Yale University. He received his education from the California Institute of Technology, the University of Chicago, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Kirkwood was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He received the ACS Award in Pure Chemistry and the Irving Langmuir Award in Chemical Physics. His notable works include *Shock and detonation waves*, *Dielectrics*, *intermolecular forces*, *optical rotation*, *Chemical Thermodynamics*, *Quantum statistics and cooperative phenomena*, and *Chemical thermodynamics*. He died in New Haven.