Editing Robert J. Van de Graaff (section)

==Biography==
Robert Jemison [[Van (Dutch)|Van]] de Graaff was born in the [[Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion]] in [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama]], to Adrian Sebastian "Bass" Van de Graaff and Minnie Cherokee Jemison. Robert's great grandfather was [[Robert Jemison Jr.|Robert Jemison Jr]]. His father Adrian was a circuit judge.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://bama.ua.edu/~jharrell/PH106-S06/vandegraaff.htm|title=SOUTHERN LIGHTS: Robert Van de Graaff never received his due in Tuscaloosa|work=Tuscaloosa News|author=Ben Windham|access-date=November 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130903014526/http://bama.ua.edu/~jharrell/PH106-S06/vandegraaff.htm|archive-date=September 3, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> His father was of [[Dutch (ethnic group)|Dutch]] descent.<ref name="jemisonmansion">{{cite web|url=http://www.jemisonmansion.com/index.php?page=3 |title=Van de Graaff History |work=Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion (official website) |access-date=10 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206131811/http://jemisonmansion.com/index.php?page=3 |archive-date=February 6, 2009 }}</ref>

His three older brothers [[Adrian Van de Graaff|Adrian, Jr.]], [[Hargrove Van de Graaff|Hargrove]], and [[William T. Van de Graaff|William]] were all [[College Football All-Southern Team|All-Southern]] [[college football]] players for the [[Alabama Crimson Tide football|Alabama Crimson Tide]]. William was known as "Bully" and was Alabama's first [[All-America]]n. In Tuscaloosa, Robert received his B.S. in mathematics (1922) and M.S. in mechanical engineering (1923) from [[The University of Alabama]] where he was a founding member of The Castle Club (later became Mu chapter<ref>{{cite web|url=https://muthetatau.org/chapter-history|title=Chapter History|work=muthetatau.org|access-date=23 July 2015}}</ref> of [[Theta Tau]]).

After a year working for the [[Alabama Power Company]], Van de Graaff attended the Marie Curie lectures at the [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]] in 1925. During 1926, he earned a second B.S. at Oxford University by a [[Rhodes Scholarship]], completing his D.Phil. under [[John Sealy Townsend]] at [[Oxford University]] in 1928.<ref>{{cite news |title=February 12, 1935: Patent granted for Van de Graaff generator | newspaper=APS News |date=February 2011}}</ref>

Van de Graaff was the inventor of the [[Van de Graaff generator]], a device which produces [[high voltage]]s. During 1929, he developed his first such generator, producing 80,000 volts.<ref name="bnl">{{cite web|url=http://tvdg10.phy.bnl.gov/vandegraaff.html|title=Robert Jemison Van de Graaff was born on December 20, 1901 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama|access-date=August 23, 2004|archive-date=October 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024161036/http://tvdg10.phy.bnl.gov/vandegraaff.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> By 1933, he had constructed a larger generator generating 7 million volts working together with [[John G Trump]].<ref name="bnl" />

Van de Graaff spent 1929-1931 at Princeton, became a National Research Fellow, and from 1931 to 1934 a research associate of the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]. He became an associate professor in 1934 (staying there until 1960). He was awarded the [[Elliott Cresson Medal]] in 1936.

During World War II, Van de Graaff was director of the High Voltage Radiographic Project. After World War II, he co-initiated the High Voltage Engineering Corporation (HVEC) with [[John G. Trump]]. During the 1950s he invented the insulating-core [[transformer]], producing high-voltage direct current. He also developed [[tandem]] generator technology.

The [[American Physical Society]] awarded him the T. Bonner prize (1965) for the development of [[electrostatic accelerator]]s.

Van de Graaff died on January 16, 1967, in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]. His wife died in 1972.

In the year that he died, the progressive rock band [[Van der Graaf Generator]] was formed, named after him, notwithstanding the spelling errors. The [[Van de Graaff (crater)|Van de Graaff crater]] on the far side of the Moon is named after him.