Edmund S. Muskie Oral History Collection
Document Type
Oral History
Publication Date
7-29-1998
Interview Number
MOH 038
Abstract
Lewis Winfield Davis was born February 7, 1914 in Auburn, Maine to Wilbur and Gertrude Davis. His father worked for a bank and his mother was a housewife. A science scholar, Lewis graduated from Bates College in 1936 with a B.S. in Chemistry and Physics and later went to MIT and Northeastern University. He worked as a researcher for most of his life for General Electric and then Metal Hydrides. He became president of Metal Hydrides, Inc. in 1970 after many years as a chemist and manager. While there, Lewis worked on Uranium with Einstein to help produce the world’s first atomic bomb and the development of nuclear technology. He was on the executive board of Trustees at Bates College for ten years.
Use Restrictions
Copyright Bates College. This transcript is provided for individual Research Purposes Only; for all other uses, including publication, reproduction and quotation beyond fair use, permission must be obtained in writing from: The Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, Bates College, 70 Campus Avenue, Lewiston, Maine 04240-6018.
Recommended Citation
O'Brien, Stuart and Chavira, Rob, "Davis, Lewis Winfield oral history interview" (1998). Edmund S. Muskie Oral History Collection. 111.
https://scarab.bates.edu/muskie_oh/111
Scope and Content Note
Interview covers such topics as: Auburn, Maine; Davis’s Republican family background; the Depression; his Bates College years; Ed Muskie’s personality; his career in chemistry research; the Recession period; the Manhattan Project; the evolution of Uranium and its supply during WWII; the development of nuclear technology and the atomic bomb; his business dealings with Muskie; Bates College professors in the 1930s; and Muskie’s characteristics.