Manhattan Project Leaders: Franklin Thompson Matthias

Civil Engineer Franklin Matthias supervised construction of the Hanford site.

United States Army

Quick Facts

Significance:

Civil Engineer in charge of the Hanford site

Place of Birth:

Glidden, WI

Date of Birth:

March 13, 1908

Place of Death:

Walnut Creek, CA

Date of Death:

December 3, 1993

Born in Glidden, WI in 1908, Franklin Matthias received his BS and MS in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1931 and 1933. In 1941, Matthias joined the Construction Division of the Army Corps of Engineers. On December 14, 1942, General Leslie Groves assigned Matthias and two representatives of the DuPont Corporation the task of locating a suitable site for the Manhattan Project’s plutonium production facilities. After researching sites in Montana, Oregon, California, and Washington, Matthias selected Hanford on December 22, believing that its isolated location with an ample water supply from the Columbia River was the best choice for the top-secret facility. General Groves then appointed Matthias officer-in-charge of the Hanford site, ensuring he had authority over both civilian and military operations.  

From 1942 to 1945, Matthias oversaw construction efforts at Hanford under District Engineer Kenneth Nichols. In January 1945 Matthias personally delivered the first batch of plutonium nitrate to a courier in California who then delivered it to Los Alamos. For his role in the Manhattan Project, Matthias was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in 1946. 

In 1946 Matthias left the Army, preferring to work on civil construction jobs the remainder of his life. These included several dams, two of which, Wells and Wanapum, were located on the Columbia River near the Hanford site. Franklin Matthias died in Walnut Creek, CA in 1993.