William Coolidge: Vacuum Tube for X-Ray Production, 1926

Case File of William D. Coolidge

Committee on Science and the Arts
Contents of CSA #2853
1926 Potts Medal

• Report
• CSA Report: Report of the Sub-Committee on Science and the Arts, Report on the Investigation of the Coolidge Tube invented by William D. Coolidge. Signed. 5/5/1926
• CSA Report: Report of the Sub-Committee on Science and the Arts, Report on the Investigation of the Coolidge Tube invented by William D. Coolidge. Partial Copy. 5/5/1926
• CSA Report: Report of the Committee on Science and the Arts, Report on the Investigation of the Coolidge Tube invented by William D. Coolidge. Signed and sealed. 6/2/1926
• CSA Cover Page: Committee on Science and the Arts, Final report of the Sub-Committee awarding the Howard N. Potts Gold Medal to William D. Coolidge, 10/20/1926
• Report: Committee Secretary, Describing of the structure and operation of the Coolidge Tube
• Correspondence
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Willis R. Whitney, Acknowledging information received concerning Coolidge's work in originating and developing the Coolidge Tube, 2/9/1925
• Committee Secretary Letter: To E.W. Rice, requesting confirmation of Coolidge as the primary developer of the Coolidge Tube, 2/4/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Willis R. Whitney, Requesting confirmation that Coolidge is primarily responsible for development of the Coolidge Tube, 2/4/1926
• L.M. Willey Letter: To George A. Hoadley, Assuring that Coolidge was the guiding thought in the development of the Coolidge Tube, 2/6/1926
• H. Fredericks Letter: To George A. Hoadley, Assuring that the Coolidge Tube is unquestionably the primary conception and design of Coolidge alone, 2/6/1926
• H. Fredericks Letter: To Committee Secretary, Acknowledging the confirmation of Coolidge's work on the Coolidge Tube, 2/9/1926
• E.W. Rice Letter: To George A. Hoadley, Endorsing the statement that the Coolidge Tube is primarily the work of Dr. Coolidge, 2/24/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Clarence A. Hall, Requesting an opinion on candidates for the Sub-Committee investigating the Coolidge Tube, 3/3/1926
• Sub-Committee Letter: Instructing the Committee Secretary to contact Whitney and Rice to verify that the tube is the work of Coolidge alone, 3/3/1926
• C.A. Hall Letter: To George A. Hoadley, Providing recommendations for Sub-Committee membership, 3/6/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Thomas D. Cope, Informing of appointment to membership of the Sub-Committee investigating the Coolidge Tube, 3/10/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To James Barnes, Informing of appointment to membership of the Sub-Committee investigating the Coolidge Tube, 3/10/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To L.F. Rondinella, Informing of appointment to membership of the Sub-Committee investigating the Coolidge Tube, 3/10/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Frederic Palmer Jr., Informing of appointment to chairmanship of the Sub-Committee investigating the Coolidge Tube, 3/10/1926
• T.D. Cope Postcard: To Committee Secretary, Accepting membership on the Sub-Committee investigating the Coolidge Tube, 3/11/1926
• Frederic Palmer Jr. Postcard: To Committee Secretary, Accepting chairmanship of the Sub-Committee investigating the Coolidge Tube, 3/11/1926
• James Barnes Postcard: To Committee Secretary, Accepting membership on the Sub-Committee investigating the Coolidge Tube, 3/11/1926
• L.F. Rondinella Postcard: To Committee Secretary, Accepting membership on the Sub-Committee investigating the Coolidge Tube, 3/11/1926
• William Otis Sawtelle Postcard: To Committee Secretary, Accepting membership on the Sub-Committee investigating the Coolidge Tube, 3/11/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Frederic Palmer Jr., Informing that letters have been sent to users of the Coolidge Tube, 3/18/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Joseph S. Ames, Requesting an opinion on the usefulness of the Coolidge Tube, 3/18/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Henry K. Pancoast, Requesting an opinion on the usefulness of the Coolidge Tube, 3/18/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Charles B. Bazzoni, Requesting an opinion on the usefulness of the Coolidge Tube, 3/18/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To David H. Bowen, Requesting an opinion on the usefulness of the Coolidge Tube, 3/18/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Willis F. Manges, Requesting an opinion on the usefulness of the Coolidge Tube, 3/18/1926
• David R. Bowen Letter: To George A. Hoadley, Commenting strongly in favor of the Coolidge Tube with a caveat concerning its commercialization, 3/19/1926
• Henry K. Pancoast Letter: To George A. Hoadley, Commenting on the epochal nature of the Coolidge Tube, 3/22/1926
• J.S. Ames Letter: To George A. Hoadley, Commenting on the fundamental importance of the Coolidge Tube in X-Ray research, 3/22/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Henry K. Pancoast, Appreciating the reply regarding experiences with the Coolidge Tube, 3/23/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Joseph S. Ames, Appreciating the reply regarding experiences with the Coolidge Tube, 3/23/1926
• Willis F. Manges Letter: To George A. Hoadley, Praising the Coolidge Tube as a benefit to humanity, 3/25/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Frederic Palmer Jr., Enclosing copies of the letters commenting on the value of the Coolidge Tube, 3/26/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Willis F. Manges, Appreciating the reply regarding experiences with the Coolidge Tube, 3/26/1926
• Committee Secretary Postcard: To Frederic Palmer Jr., Announcing the April 13 meeting of the Sub-Committee investigating the Coolidge Tube, 4/8/1926
• L.F. Rondinella Postcard: To Committee Secretary, Informing of inability to attend the Sub-Committee meeting about the Coolidge Tube, 4/8/1926
• T.D. Cope Letter: To Frederic Palmer Jr., Regretting inability to attend a Sub-Committee meeting, 4/10/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To David R. Bowen, Responding to Bowen's concerns regarding Coolidge's participation and the Tube's commercial exploitation, 4/14/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Willis R. Whitney, Requesting personal confirmation that the tube was the personal invention of Doctor Coolidge, 4/14/1926
• Willis R. Whitney Letter: To Committee Secretary, Confirming that Coolidge is primarily and solely responsible for this X-Ray tube, 4/16/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Frederic Palmer Jr., Reporting difficulty in locating specific Coolidge Tube patent, suggesting comparison with an actual tube, 4/16/1926
• Frederic Palmer Jr. Letter: To Committee Secretary, Pointing out a disagreement between the patent dates supplied and those etched on Palmer's own Coolidge tube, 4/19/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Frederic Palmer Jr., Enclosing a copy of Whiney's letter providing information the Sub-Committee requested, 4/19/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Frederic Palmer Jr., Reporting on unsuccessful patent search and the remedy of contacting Dr. Whitney for details, 4/21/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Willis R. Whitney, Requesting information on the fundamental patents held by General Electric on the Coolidge X-Ray Tube, 4/21/1926
• Frederic Palmer Jr. Letter: To Committee Secretary, Discussing the difficulties finding patent dates, indicating informal opinion that Coolidge be awarded the Potts Medal, 4/22/1926
• Willis R. Whitney Letter: To George A. Hoadley, Supplying the definitive patent data on the Coolidge Tube, 4/22/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Frederic Palmer Jr., Agreeing on the suitability of the Potts Medal award, promising to keep updated on the patent situation, and scheduling future meetings, 4/23/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Willis R. Whitney, Expressing thanks for the number of the fundamental patent on the Coolidge Tube, 4/23/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To James Barnes, Informing of the Sub-Committee's unanimous decision on the Potts Medal award, 4/30/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To Frederic Palmer Jr., Requesting that Palmer bring his Coolidge Tube so that the Sub-Committee may examine it, 5/3/1926
• C.B. Bazzoni Letter: To George A. Hoadley, Endorsing the Coolidge Tube as a superior, epoch making invention, 5/10/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To William D. Coolidge, Informing Coolidge of his nomination as the Howard N. Potts medal winner and requesting his presence at the award ceremony, 7/1/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To William D. Coolidge, Expressing pleasure that Coolidge will attend and read a paper at the award ceremony, 7/8/1926
• Memo: To Mr. Jackson, Instructing the striking and engraving of the Potts Medal, 9/21/1926
• Committee Secretary Letter: To William D. Coolidge, Requesting completion of a receipt for the medal and permission to distribute copies of the Coolidge Tube report, 10/22/1926
• William D. Coolidge Letter: To George A. Hoadley, Enclosing the Medal receipt, agreeing to free availability of the Sub-Committee's report, 10/25/1926
• William D. Coolidge Letter: To Howard McClenahan, Accepting the Potts Medal award and promising presence and a scientific paper presentation at the ceremony, 7/2/1926
• Evidential Information
• Committee Minutes
• Minutes: George A. Hoadley, Discussing topics of inventor's personality, Coolidge Tube endorsements, and proposed patent search, 4/13/1926
• Minutes: George A. Hoadley, The Sub-Committee unanimously agreed to recommend the award of the Howard N. Potts Medal to Dr. Coolidge, 4/30/1926
• Patents
• US Patent No. 1,077,674, to William D. Coolidge. Production of Refractory Conductors, 11/4/1913
• US Patent No. 1,082,933, to William D. Coolidge. Making Tungsten Filament for Incandescent Lamps, 12/30/1913
• US Patent No. 1,162,341, to William D. Coolidge. Composite Metal Body, 11/30/1915
• US Patent No. 1,203,495, to William D. Coolidge. Vacuum Tube, 10/31/1916
• Publications
• Booklet, Instruction Book 89136A for using the Coolidge X-Ray Tube, General Electric Company, April 1919
• Newspaper Article: Article describing Coolidge's demonstration of the Coolidge Tube at the awards presentation ceremony, Public Ledger-Philadelphia, 10/21/1926
• Newspaper Article: Undated article reporting Coolidge's description of the medical effects of the Coolidge Tube and potential applications
• Photographs
• William D. Coolidge Portrait, Signed "Very sincerely yours, W.D. Coolidge, Oct. 5, 1926."
• Lantern Slide: William D. Coolidge Photograph, (from case #3133)
• Miscellaneous
• Certificate: Citation of the Howard N. Potts Gold Medal (photocopy), The Franklin Institute, 6/2/1926
• Receipt: From William D. Coolidge, Signed receipt for the Howard N. Potts Medal and Certificate, 10/20/1926
• List: Listing of US Patents issued to William D. Coolidge, no date
• List: Listing of US Patents issued to William D. Coolidge (copy) with notes on reverse, no date
• Notecard: Handwritten notes listing patent details referencing X-Ray tube developments (four cards), no date
• Note: List of patents issued to William D. Coolidge (handwritten), no date